Uzbekistan to review import duties, excise taxes
By Kamila Aliyeva
New excise tax rates and customs duties on products imported to Uzbekistan will be reviewed.
The issue is stipulated in the draft resolution "On measures to further streamline Uzbekistan's foreign economic activity", published on the portal of interactive public services.
The resolution is aimed at creating favorable conditions for sustainable development of national production on the basis of application of the conventional methods of customs and tariff regulation of foreign trade activity; creating favorable conditions for domestic producers to import the necessary equipment and its components, raw materials and materials, stimulating the production of high-quality finished products, satisfying the consumer demand of the population and preventing the price hikes in the domestic market.
Under the document, new rates of import customs duties will be established for 97 product groups and excise tax - for more than 34 groups of goods.
Custom duties in Uzbekistan for imported goods range from 0 to more than 100 percent, but the average rate is approximately 30 percent.
Since January 2010, some five percent customs duties are applied to imported live animals, milk and cream, wheat, and computer hardware; 10-30 percent duties are applied to clothing, furniture, metals, foodstuffs; and more than 50 percent duties are applied to luxury consumer goods such as cigarettes and cars.
The categories of imported goods which are indefinitely exempt from customs duties include charter fund contributions for private enterprises, provided that these are not further sold, goods imported by enterprises with foreign investment for their own needs, goods imported by foreign investors for their own production and personal use, goods imported under a temporary importation regime, goods imported to process for further export and for statutory needs.
Excise tax, charged as a percentage of the declared customs value, must be paid on certain products, such as cigarettes, vodka, ice-cream, oil and gas condensate, fuels, cars, and carpets. Excise tax rates vary depending on the type of imported good and may deviate significantly. For example, the excise tax for jewelry is 90 percent, but two percent for passenger cars imported from Russia and Ukraine. The highest import excise tax – 200 percent – is levied on imported ice cream products.
Uzbekistan's trade policy also includes the use of tariff-like instruments, such as various types of import surcharges. The two most important are the surcharges placed on all imports by individuals and the surcharges placed on imports coming from third party countries through neighboring countries that do not have certificates of origin.
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Kamila Aliyeva is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Kami_Aliyeva
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