State grants 100% stamp duty waiver to new gaming, animation firms

The exemption, notified by the revenue department on May 29, covers enterprises engaged in animation, visual effects, gaming, comics and extended reality

Mumbai: Seeking to turn Maharashtra into a major hub for gaming, animation and immersive technologies, the state government has announced a 100% stamp duty exemption for new AVGC-XR (Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming, Comics, and Extended Reality) companies and expansion projects, a move expected to attract investments and create thousands of high-skilled jobs.

State grants 100% stamp duty waiver to new gaming, animation firms

The exemption, notified by the revenue department on May 29, covers enterprises engaged in animation, visual effects, gaming, comics and extended reality. It will remain in force for five years from November 3, 2025 or until the policy is withdrawn.

The move is aligned with the state’s AVGC-XR Policy 2025, under which the sector has been granted “Industry and Infrastructure” status, making it eligible for a range of incentives, concessions and infrastructure support measures.

Officials said the exemption will benefit units operating in Special Economic Zones, Software Technology Parks of India facilities, public and private IT parks and upcoming AVGC-XR parks.

However, the exemption will not be granted to the mere relocation of existing AVGC-XR units. “To qualify for stamp duty exemption, expansion of the project must involve at least 25% additional fixed capital investment,” states the notification.

The government plans to establish dedicated AVGC-XR parks at Mumbai Film City, Navi Mumbai, Nashik, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Kolhapur, Satara and Nagpur.

“These parks will feature high-speed digital connectivity, motion-capture studios, post-production laboratories, high-performance rendering farms, sound-recording facilities and virtual production studios,” said a state industries department official.

The policy is backed by a proposed investment of ₹3,268 crore. The government estimates it could attract up to ₹50,000 crore in investments and generate nearly two lakh high-skilled jobs over the next quarter-century.