SAN FERNANDO VALLEY : McKeon to Seek Foreign Trade Zone in West Valley
U.S. Rep. Howard P. (Buck) McKeon (R-Santa Clarita) announced Thursday that he will petition the Commerce Department for a foreign trade zone to help manufacturers in the west San Fernando Valley bounce back from the Jan. 17 earthquake.
The formation of a trade zone, which exempts manufacturers from paying customs and excise taxes on exports, would stimulate economic development by attracting businesses and encouraging the expansion of existing ones, McKeon said in an appearance at Duke’s Inc., a Chatsworth firm that makes airplane parts.
Such trade zones have been established at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach and in a portion of Palmdale.
McKeon, now in a reelection campaign against Democratic challenger James Gilmartin, will file the formal application after the Nov. 8 election, an aide said.
Gilmartin called the proposal a great idea but questioned whether McKeon has the political skill to bring it about.
Although a boundary for the zone has not been determined, it would include portions of Canoga Park and Chatsworth.
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