Additional Q&A from the FTZ Survey Webinar held on September 21, 2022.

Who is the United States International Trade Commission?

The United States International Trade Commission (Commission) is an independent Federal Government agency. Part of our work includes responding to requests from the Office of the United States Trade Representative, the Ways and Means Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives, and Committee on Finance of the U.S. Senate.

What is this survey related to?

The United States Trade Representative has requested the Commission to conduct a factfinding investigation (Inv. No. 332-588) on economic activity of U.S. firms in U.S. FTZs and under similar programs in Canada, and Mexico since 2016. As a part of this investigation USTR has requested the Commission to conduct a survey to collect information from firms.

Under what authority is a response to this questionnaire legally required?

We are requesting this information under the authority of section 332(g) of the Tariff Act of 1930 (19 U.S.C. § 1332(g)). Completing the questionnaire is mandatory, and failure to reply as directed can result in a subpoena or other order to compel the submission of records or information in your possession (19 U.S.C. § 1333(a)).

Why am I receiving this questionnaire?

The Commission has identified your firm as one that has been granted production authority in a U.S. FTZ and that has exercised such authority since January 1, 2016.

Is my business’s response confidential?

Yes. The Commission regularly collects and protects confidential business information. Your response will be aggregated with other to develop broad statistics that do not reveal the operations of any one respondent.

Whom, in my organization, should fill out the survey?

Ideally, someone who is familiar with your firm's FTZ operations will complete the questionnaire. In many cases, responding to the questionnaire requires a team of people across business units, such as Canadian or Mexican counterparts if your firm is active in Canada and/or Mexico, and it is helpful if the respondent is someone who can coordinate the gathering of information.

My firm already provides some of these data to the International Trade Administration. Do we have to provide the data to you as well?

Yes. We are asking for these data at a more disaggregated level than ITA and do not have access to the data you provide to ITA.

What parts of my firm should the response cover?

Please provide a single response for your firm's activities and experiences and, to the extent possible, the experiences of its subsidiaries and affiliates. If your firm has a parent company, do not send the questionnaire to the parent to complete.

If your firm is an affiliate of a foreign company, please respond as if the affiliate were an independent firm operating in the United States. For example, for an affiliate in the United States, report estimated total domestic and foreign sales for the affiliate and not for the foreign parent company.

How long do I have to complete the questionnaire?

Please provide your response by October 6, 2022. Contact the project team if you need additional time.