The Ministry of Energy reported on the high economic performance of the SEZ participants

Participants in special economic zones (SEZs) demonstrate significantly higher economic results compared to non-resident companies. This was reported to Izvestia on March 5 by the Ministry of Economic Development.

The press service explained that by the end of 2024, 1,060 small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) were registered in the SEZ, which is 87% of the total number of residents. In 2023, their combined income exceeded 223 billion rubles. In terms of one enterprise, the average income of a SEZ participant amounted to more than 210 million rubles, which is 10 times higher than the same indicator for non-residents.

"The state will continue to work on improving the SEZ mechanism and attracting residents in order to fully realize the potential of this tool for the development of the country's economy," Deputy Minister of Economic Development Tatyana Ilyushnikova was quoted as saying in the press service of the Ministry of Economy.

A special economic zone is a territory with preferential business conditions. SEZ residents receive access to simplified registration, tax and customs preferences, favorable land lease terms, as well as targeted support in the implementation of investment projects.

Support for SMEs in SEZ territories is provided not only at the federal, but also at the regional level. Regional ministries are implementing special programs, including subsidies, grants, preferential loans and other measures.

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The sectoral structure of SMEs in the SEZ differs significantly from the national one. The SEZ is dominated by manufacturing enterprises (57%), IT industries (14%) and knowledge-intensive industries (12%). At the same time, trade (36%), transportation and storage (10%), and construction (9%) are leading the country as a whole.

"By creating favorable conditions for the development of innovative and high-tech industries, SEZs contribute not only to income and employment growth, but also to an increase in tax revenues to the budget. On average, each enterprise operating in the SEZ has transferred over 20 million rubles to the budget, which is 15 times more than the tax deductions of non—residents per legal entity," said Dmitry Vakhrukov, Deputy Minister of Economic Development.

SEZs in Russia are being created for the development of manufacturing and high-tech industries, tourism, the sanatorium and resort sector, port and transport infrastructure, as well as for the commercialization of technologies and the production of new types of products. Currently, there are various types of SEZs in the country: industrial, technical, innovative, tourist, recreational and port.

Earlier, on January 30, the Ministry of Economic Development of Russia told Izvestia that the agency href="https://iz.ru/1830865/2025-01-30/dla-msp-budet-otkryt-dostup-k-lgotnoi-programme-investicionnogo-kreditovania"> relaunches the program of preferential investment loans to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in priority sectors of the economy. The program will be implemented jointly with the Bank of Russia and will combine subsidies from the federal budget, as well as preferential funding from the Bank of Russia. In addition, as part of the program, the Ministry of Economic Development of Russia will continue to subsidize loans issued in 2019-2024 to SMEs, as well as self-employed citizens, under the 1764 program.