In the United States empowerment zones were introduced in 1993 to allow local governments to compete for grants and tax incentives. The 2017 law allows state governors to designate up to 25% of low-income census tracts in their state as opportunity zones. There are 8,700 opportunity zones in the United States. They cover 35 million Americans. Investors in those zones can defer capital gains tax until 2026. This helps investors lower their tax burden.