In addition to the Seven Central Government SEZs and 12 State/ Private Sector SEZs set up prior to the enactment of SEZ Act, 2005, formal approval have been accorded to 571 proposals out of which 348 SEZs have been notified. A total of 105 SEZs are already exporting.
Total exports of Rs.99,689 crore have been made from SEZs during the financial year 2008-09 registering a growth of 50% over the exports for the same period of the previous year. Exports from SEZs during the first three quarters of the current financial year have been to the tune of Rs.1,52,092.68 crore registering a growth of about 127% over the exports for the same period of the previous financial year.
The fiscal concessions are in built into the SEZ Act, 2005. The Units in the SEZs are allowed duty free goods for setting up SEZ Units, exemption from Service Tax, Minimum Alternate Tax (MAT), Central Sales Tax etc. SEZ Units are allowed 100% Income Tax exemption on export income under Section 10AA of the Income Tax Act for first 5 years, 50% for next 5 years thereafter and 50% of the ploughed back export profit for next 5 years. Also, sales into Domestic Tariff Area by SEZ Units attract all duties including Countervailing Duties.
State-wise Distribution of approved Special Economic Zones
| State | Formal
Approvals |
Notified
SEZs |
Operational
SEZs |
| Andhra Pradesh | 102 | 72 | 21 |
| Chandigarh | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| Chattisgarh | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Delhi | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Dadra & Nagar Haveli | 4 | 2 | 0 |
| Goa | 7 | 3 | 0 |
| Gujarat | 48 | 30 | 10 |
| Haryana | 45 | 32 | 3 |
| Himachal Pradesh | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jharkhand | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Karnataka | 52 | 29 | 15 |
| Kerala | 25 | 15 | 5 |
| Madhya Pradesh | 14 | 6 | 1 |
| Maharashtra | 109 | 57 | 15 |
| Nagaland | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| Orissa | 10 | 5 | 1 |
| Puducherry | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Punjab | 8 | 2 | 0 |
| Rajasthan | 8 | 7 | 3 |
| Tamil Nadu | 68 | 55 | 19 |
| Uttar Pradesh | 34 | 16 | 6 |
| Uttarakhand | 3 | 2 | 0 |
| West Bengal | 24 | 11 | 5 |
| GRAND TOTAL | 571 | 348 | 105 |
