Azizbek Shukurov, deputy head of Uzavtosanoat, agreed with the opinion of economist Yuliy Yusupov that Uzbekistan has high rates of customs duties on car imports.
It should be recalled that earlier economist Yuliy Yusupov told how much we are losing due to the monopoly of the auto industry.
The other day, the deputy head of Uzavtosanoat, Azizbek Shukurov, also expressed his opinion.
“In addition to high customs duties, there is another serious barrier to car imports, and, consequently, to creating a healthy competitive environment in the industry. We are talking about the so-called non-tariff barriers. The need to obtain certification from local certifying authorities is one of them. Such certification must be carried out by all cars imported into the country, including brands of world automakers that have been checked and rechecked, tested and retested and have all the necessary confirmations. That is, we are talking about procedures from the point of view of the interests of the consumer and the budget, not only meaningless, but also extremely harmful, since they lead to a significant increase in the cost of the car, which negatively affects both the consumer’s pocket and the state’s income,” the economist said earlier.
Shukurov asked which country in the world where there is an automobile industry does not have certification requirements. He said that Uzstandard recognizes UNECE certificates, but China and the United States do not recognize such certificates and require certificates for their specific requirements.
The economist spoke about climate tests, but a representative of the Uzavtosanoat company said that when individuals import cars, climate tests are not carried out.
According to the economist, one certificate costs an average of 51,300 euros.
“The average time for a car brand to be relevant is about 3 years. During this period, given the high final prices, the importer will not sell many cars in Uzbekistan. Suppose that one certificate (issued for a car of a certain brand with a certain engine) will be able to sell an average of 20 cars in three years. The cost of one medium car should increase by 2,565 euros (51,300/20). Meanwhile, the cost of certification for an individual is 3.5-4 million soums per car,” Yusupov said.
Azizbek Shukurov asked which manufacturer/importer makes a business plan based on sales of 20 cars in 3 years and how such a small volume can pay off the investment in establishing/maintaining a dealership even if the certification requirement is cancelled.
The representative of the company also recalls that Russian-made cars (with the appropriate certificate), for example, Lada, are not subject to customs duties. He stressed that the prices for Uzauto Motors cars in the budget segment “are lower than the same cars produced by General Motors in other countries”.
In addition, Shukurov asked Yusupov to talk about the facts of corruption in the sphere.
“At the same time, I agree with the opinion that the rates of customs duties are high and they could be reviewed,” he concluded.
The full text of the article can be found here.
