Free Trade Port Areas / 自由貿易港區
In the middle of July, the Legislative Yuan passed the third-reading of a bill of "Management Regulations for the Free Trade Port Areas." This symbolizes the process of easing customs clearance in the free trade ports and will make things easier for businessmen from other countries thus promoting Taiwan's international competitiveness and beginning to build a global management center. With transport connections around the nation and having an airport and a seaport, Kaohsiung has the most qualification and opportunity to be at the center of these developments.
At Kaohsiung Port, according to the Management Regulations of the Free Trade Port Areas, funds, workers, skills, manufactures come together on the piers; and materials from all over the world will be turned into finished products. The procedures of storage, assemblage, re-arranging, and packaging will be solved efficiently all together. Commodities will be quickly shipped out into the world with none of the problems such as examining, coming in and going of the customs, and imposition of customs duty. The costs of factories and of time will decrease and the ability to compete will increase. The area is therefore positioned as at once "within the border without custom." Kaohsiung Port is becoming a special port area for free trade.
"Management Regulations for the Free Trade Port Areas" mainly includes: setting up the committee for negotiating in the port area and a unit for port management; scheduling the conditions and processes of the port area; cooperating with the professional control of the unit for port management with different administrative units; bringing commodities in and out of customs clearance in port area; imposing a zero business tax; adding tax for commodities changing into other functions; making easier the process of admitting businessmen from other countries; stipulating punishments for disobeying the regulations related to autonomous management, etc.
In the future, the Free Trade Port Area will use the method of risk management to replace most of the checking of declarations at customs clearance. In the area, besides the simple and convenient processes such as assembling, repairing, etc, we will proceed with serious manufacture producing added value and make the various administrative procedures simpler. The Free Port Area will offer its service through one multi-functioned and professionally-staffed window.
Mayor Hsieh pointed out that after passing the management regulations, Kaohsiung city government is planning to apply them enthusiastically. The reason is: Taiwan's export processing zone is located in Kaohsiung city. Currently, most of work is only that of transiting. We had offered much land but achieved very little benefit. The Management Regulations for the Free Trade Port Areas will be very much helpful in enriching our processing. Thus the values of our products and our profits will much improve and meantime increase Kaohsiung's and Taiwan's competitiveness on the international stage.
Mayor Hsieh also suggested that, following the management regulations, we should make by-laws in order to make the whole thing more complete and efficient. Before making such by-laws, Kaohsiung city government will apply by following the usual procedures. We hope to be able to apply in the autumn.
Kaohsiung Maritime and Harbor Bureau also plans two phases of taking over the management of the free trade port areas. The first phase is to manage five container centers in the port areas and expand the size to 360.5 hectares in order to cater for large-sized airline companies at home and abroad. The first period will be complete by the end of the year. The second period is to develop sundry centers and expand their size into 155.21 hectares, including five centers and piers for the loading and unloading of petrochemicals. This plan should be complete by the end of 2005. In the future, as a further development, we will hope to create a commercial function of port containers, attract business back to Taiwan, and create more job opportunities.
今年七月中，立法院三讀通過「自由貿易港區設置管理條例」，明定簡化自由貿易港區內的貿易通關程序，並放寬境外商務人士入境限制，以充分提升台灣國際競爭力，實現全球運籌中心目標﹔環顧全國，同時擁有空港、海港的高雄市最有資格及條件納入。
對高雄港而言，在自由貿易港區設置條例下，各國資金、人員、技術、製造匯集在碼頭邊，來自全球的原料轉變為成品，之間的倉儲、組裝、重整、包裝一次解決，貨品可立即輸送到世界各地，沒有進出海關檢驗、課徵關稅問題，廠家成本、時間下降，競爭力提高，區內因此被定位為「境內關外」，高雄港因而變成一自由貿易特區。
「自由貿易港區設置管理條例」主要內容包括設置港區協調委員會、港區管理機關﹔劃設編定為港區之要件及程序；港區管理機關之職掌與各行政機關之配合；貨物進出港區之通關申報；營業稅零稅率之適用；供營運之貨物變更用途補徵稅捐；外籍商務人士入境許可程序；違反自主管理相關規定之處罰等。
未來自由貿易港區將以風險管理機制取代大部分的通關申報查驗，且區域除組裝修配等簡易加工外，尚可進行深層加值製造活動，另為便利自由港區事業完成營運上各項行政程序，自由港區將以專責的單一全功能窗口提供聯合服務。
謝市長指出，這項條例通過後，市府會積極準備申請，因為加工出口區在高雄市，目前大部份做的是轉運的工作，提供大量的土地，但收益卻很少，自由貿易港區設置管理條例對深層加工的幫助很大，如果能夠加強深層加工，產值和效益就會提高很多，將增加高雄市與台灣的競爭力。
謝市長並表示，這項條例通過後，應該接著制訂子法，相關的細部規定才會健全，在沒有制訂子法之前，市府還是會依程序辦理申請作業，預估在今年的第三季應該就可以辦理申請。
而高雄港務局也規劃分兩期逐步設置自由貿易港區，第一期將包括設置港區內五座貨櫃中心，面積達三百六十點五公頃，以容納國內外大型航運公司進駐，預定年底前完成開發﹔第二期則為各散雜貨中心，面積達一百五十五點二一公頃，包括五座散雜貨或石化品裝卸碼頭，預計民國九十四年底完成開發。屆時將能達到港口貨櫃集散功能、吸引企業回流、創造就業機會。