Mirziyoyev heavily criticizes tax authorities for growing number of corruption crimes

During today’s videoconference meeting in Tashkent region, the head of state touched upon taxation issues.

In the first half of the year, tax revenues in the republic amounted to 76.3 trillion soums and increased by 107.5% compared to last year.

During this period, 2.3 trillion soums remained at the disposal of local budgets.

“However, this is much less than the possibilities we have. It must be admitted that the results of our growing economy are not fully reflected in budget revenues. Businessmen cannot be blamed for this.

To do this, the tax authorities need to change their mindset. Tax officials should look at entrepreneurs as a source of expanding the tax base not in terms of collecting money, but in terms of supporting them,” Shavkat Mirziyoyev said.

Today, 60% of tax revenues are collected on large taxpayers through the e-system by the inspectorate, but the regional and district tax authorities have been criticized. For example, the number of enterprises paying income tax today is 425,000 and has decreased by 9% compared to the beginning of the year.

In particular, in Khorezm and Karakalpakstan, the number of such enterprises decreased by 20%, in the Tashkent region – by 14%, in Bukhara, Samarkand and Namangan regions – by 12%. Or for 5 months of this year, the incomes of entrepreneurs in 40 districts have not changed, and in some of them even decreased.

As a result, 26 heads of tax authorities were dismissed: Kungrat, Takhtakupir, Ulugnar, Alat, Pakhtakor, Namangan, Mingbulak, Chust, Kasan, Mubarek, Dekhkanabad, Urgut, Kattakurgan, Nurabad, Muzrabat, Khiva, Khanka and Kitab districts, as well as the cities of Bukhara, Kagan, Samarkand, Angren, Bekabad, Almalyk, Nurafshan and Urgench.

At the same time, it was noted that instead of looking for additional sources, the tax authorities succumbed to the “old-fashioned disease” and preferred to collect free funds from working entrepreneurs. For example, in 2022, the amount of overpayment of taxes by entrepreneurs increased by 320 billion soums to 4.4 trillion soums.

“Unfortunately, the number of corruption crimes among tax officials is increasing every year,” the President said.

The PGO department was criticized for weakening control, and was tasked with creating a practical system to prevent violations of the law, such as collecting excessive taxes from taxpayers, their late return, bribery during inspections.

Heads of tax departments of Andijan and Syrdarya regions and the acting head of the inspectorate for work with large taxpayers of the Tax Committee were dismissed.

Deputy Minister of Economy and Finance D. Sultanov, deputy chairmen of the Tax Committee M. Mirzayev, J. Abdiyev and S. Eshmatov, as well as the head of the Tashkent city tax department were reprimanded.