Area economic development officials want the city of Myrtle Beach to create a special economic zone at a business park at Myrtle Beach International Airport so they will have more tools to lure manufacturers into the now empty park.

Specifically, industry hunters want to be able to offer prospective employers a reduction in or elimination of the city’s business license fees.

“The problem is the way the city business license is figured is by gross income,” said Mark Lazarus, Horry County Council chairman and an executive committee member of the Myrtle Beach Regional Economic Development Corp.

He said that could mean that a major employer that made parts for Boeing, for instance, could face a $50,000 to $100,000 annual bill for its city business license if its sales were in the $20 million to $30 million range in a year.