Taking into account that the port of Laredo is the largest border crossing for the exchange of goods between Mexico and the United States, the relevance of taking advantage of the Foreign Trade Zones (FTZ), also known as free trade zones, is crucial because they allow the use of procedures special customs duties that benefit trade .
Federico Schaffler, Foreign Trade Administrator of the city of Laredo, Texas, explained to T21 that the FTZ are programs with a long tradition in the northern neighbor that for nearly 100 years have been effective allies in the commercial exchange between Mexico and the United States. Joined.
“The project consists of the activation of spaces within a warehouse, or in the patio of a foreign trade company on the American side, where merchandise that comes from another country, which in the case of Laredo is mostly Mexico, reaches these spaces and do not pay taxes until they enter the United States market, or they can also be goods produced in the United States that are destined for the FTZ to later be exported to another country in the world,” Schaffler indicated.
FTZs offer competitive advantages for a logistics operator such as deferral of payment of tariffs or taxes. Schaffler explained that in these areas products from Mexico that have exceeded export quotas can be stored, “at the time the “ok” for export is given, the product is already in North American territory and can begin marketing. ”.
Another trade facilitation tool that is in operation is the Federal Inspection Station that is currently operating at the Laredo airport, Texas, where the joint review between the National Customs Agency of Mexico ( ANAM ) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) of air cargo products that enter eight airports in Mexico: Guadalajara, Toluca, Querétaro, Silao, Ramos Arizpe, Chihuahua, Hermosillo and San Luis Potosí.
These goods come from the aerospace, automotive, electrical, auto parts and electronics industries. “These are products that are already shipped from the United States to these airports and no longer have to go through customs again upon arrival,” explained the Foreign Trade administrator of the city of Laredo, Texas.
Although, to date the project operates in the aforementioned airports, Gilberto Sánchez, director of the Laredo International Airport, commented in an interview with T21 that the future goal is to extend the benefits to more air terminals, for example, the Felipe International Airport Ángeles (AIFA) , whenever the new government takes office on the Mexican side.
Regarding the expansion of industries, this is possible, however, it depends entirely on high-level negotiations between the governments of Mexico and the United States.
For his part, Gilberto Sánchez, commented that with dual customs, cargo that leaves the Laredo airport and is destined for one of the eight authorized airports in Mexico, the goods are automatically released by the Mexican authority.
He said that this facilitation allows waiting times to be released to release loads, going from three days to a few hours.
