Little-known tool provides tax relief for exporters

You wouldn't think CNN, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Lucent Technologies and the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey circus have much in common, but they do.

All four organizations need to move large amounts of equipment from one nation to another, creating a potential customs clearance nightmare.

But all of these groups and others are able to transit many international borders, duty-free, thanks to a document called an ATA Carnet. An ATA Carnet allows organizations, such as performers, manufacturers with samples and others, to transit international borders without paying import duties or value-added taxes.

In light of Pennsylvania's drive to encourage exports, it's worth it for companies interested in overseas ventures to look into ATA Carnets.

In the United States, ATA Carnets are governed by the United States Council for International Business, a Chicago nonprofit that functions as the U.S. affiliate of the Parisbased International Chamber of Commerce. The council was appointed by the Treasury Department in 1968 to act as the guaranteeing association for the United States and began issuing ATA Carnets in 1969.