Free Trade Zone
this area of the galaxy was, at one time, untouched by the government of the Old Republic. It was set aside for, and managed by, the Trade Federation under a franchise that gave them control of the zone. The Federation was able to set its own tariffs and mark its own trade routes without interference from the Old Republic. This changed when the Senate voted to impose taxation upon these trade routes, forcing the Trade Federation to blockade the small planet of Naboo in protest.