The Committee on Economic Development, Industry and Commerce approved the Bill 6177/09 last Wednesday, of Deputy Wandenkolk Gonçalves (PSDB-PA), which authorizes the Executive Branch to create an Export Processing Zone (EPZ) in Altamira (Pará State). EPZ is a free trade area destined to companies focused on production of goods to be commercialized exclusively abroad. The authorized companies to operate at this regime have exemption from some taxes.

“With Belo Monte hydroelectric construction, Altamira will be able to get a migration flow of around 100 thousand people; this way, an alternative creation of income and employment generation with EPZ is going to be necessary, in order to have an economic and social development in the region”, Wandenkolk Gonçalves said.

The Rapporteur at the committee, Deputy Jurandil Juarez (PMDB-PA) has defended the proposal approval. He reminds that the law which regulates EPZs creation (11.508/08) prioritizes these areas creation in less developed regions of Brazil to seek for reducing regional imbalances. "Nothing more than natural to prioritize the North Region, whose socioeconomic indicators are mostly below the national average and at great disadvantage when compared with the richest regions of the Country”, he argued.

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The project will still be analyzed by other committees.

Translation - Grupo Solucion-SP Language/Márcia Regina Monteiro Ferreira