International Trade Zone

For the de jure nation, see Tamerlaine.

Tamerlaine International Trade Zone

International Trade Zone logo
ITZ mandate extends to all territory shown within inset
Type	Special Economic Zone
Purpose	Regulate and manage all economic activity within the territory of the Republica of Tamerlaine Ease duties, tariffs, and taxes on international investments and purchases
Headquarters	Tamerlaine city, Abrus, Tamerlaine
Region served	Bay of Concordia (enforcement) International (partnerships)
Membership	18 corporations (13 Committee members, 5 residents)
Official languages	Codexian (transactional) Various others
Oversight Committee Chair	Francine J. J. Jericho
Budget	$100 billion SHD
Staff	600,000+
Website	InternationalTradeZone.biz.itz

The Tamerlaine International Trade Zone, often shortened to the International Trade Zone (ITZ) to differentiate from the nation that hosts it, is a special economic zone and corporation-run regulatory body. It is located in congruity with the land and economic territory of the Republica of Tamerlaine in the Halcyon Sea. Positioned as a hub for international trade and shipping, the ITZ manages corporate best practice, labour standards, and policies for all businesses operating within its mandate. It also waives certain import/export and customs fees for goods exchanged and transported, and provides a tax incentive program for businesses looking to establish themselves in the Tamerid islands. The ITZ is controlled by the International Trade Zone Oversight Committee, a body composed of representatives from major corporate interests, which coordinates with the Republican Forum of Tamerlaine on legal and jurisdictional responsibilities. Membership on the Oversight Committee permits a business to acquire land and use it however they see fit so long as it does not contradict Committee regulations, a policy that has attracted many current and aspiring Committee members.

The ITZ facilititates transactions between entities in goods, services, and currencies through it's centrally managed Trade Zone Financial Commission in cooperation with the Tamerlaine Central Bank. The Zone provides frameworks for negotiating deals, exchanges, mergers, licenses, and leases, and has specialty offices to work with private individuals, corporations, and governments. The usage of the ITZ as a third party ratifier can help entities avoid excess fees usually associated with international business. The policies of the ITZ prevent discrimination or unevenly-weighted transactions but may make exceptions for issues such as sapient rights, national security, or other contentious issues.

The headquarters of the ITZ are in the city of Tamerlaine on Abrus island, and include the Trade Zone Bureau of Function Building and the International Business Park. The Oversight Comittee meets at the beginning of each financial quarter, but can be called to session by any seated member company. Day-to-day operations in the ITZ are handled by the Bureau of Function, a body staffed by specialists from each resident corporation and personnel from the Tamerid government. The budget of the ITZ is roughly $100 billion International Trade Dollars, a fiat currency used within the Zone's borders that is pegged to the South Hills Standard Hawking Dollar. This budget is a combined value of the operating profits of the Oversight Committee companies and membership fees from all resident corporations. Currently, the ITZ hosts 18 major corporations both domestic and foreign, with thirteen on the Committee and 5 aspiring members.

The ITZ is commonly credited for the wealth boom in Tamerlaine over the past three decades since it evolved from the Tamerlaine Trade and Regulation Act of 1990. The Zone requires that all major companies that earn more than $100 million in net profits contribute 20% of it to taxes and to subsidize infrastructure and other resources that they make common use of. In return for these contributions, companies are allowed to set their own regulations and operate on any owned land in the Zone free from oversight. This relationship has attracted many businesses from abroad and propelled Tamerlaine to a top spot among investment and shipping destinations. Critics of the ITZ suggest that the citizens of the Tamerid islands no longer have a say in their governance and that the corporations have used the sweeping powers afforded to them in the Zone to act as the de-facto government of Tamerlaine. However, the ITZ Oversight Committee remains ostensibly subordinate to the Republican Forum and President of Tamerlaine and are required by national law to abide by decisions made by these officials.