The Export Promotion Council for EOUs and SEZs (EPCES) on Tuesday sought the benefits of the Remission of Duties and Taxes on Exported Products (RoDTEP) scheme to be extended to special economic zones and also urged the government to allow them to sell goods in the domestic tariff area.
“We have submitted a proposal before the government to cover SEZs and EOUs too under the new RoDTEP scheme,” said EPCES chairman Bhuvnesh Seth, adding that the government has assured that a committee is being set up to look at the issue.
The scheme was notified for 8,555 products including employment-generating marine, agriculture, leather, and gems and jewellery sectors in August and aims to refund exporters duties and taxes such as VAT on fuel used in transportation, Mandi tax and duty on electricity used during manufacturing, that were so far not being refunded.
On the issue of sales to DTA, Seth said the goods can be sold on duty foregone basis rather than the present arrangement of payment of full customs duties.
At present, SEZs are allowed to sell their products in the domestic market but after payment of customs duty.
The council has also sought that SEZ units be allowed to do job work for DTA units, grant of infrastructure status to get to priority lending at cheaper rates, simplification of norms for de-notification of zones and exit processes and flexibility of utilization of non-processing areas by developers for creation of social infrastructure.
EPCES expects exports from SEZs to touch Rs 8 lakh crore in FY22 from Rs 7.55 lakh crore in the previous fiscal. As on August 31, there were 379 notified SEZs of which 267 are operational and 5,559 approved units.
