Foreign tech giants double tax payments in Uzbekistan, exceeding 100 billion UZS

According to the State Tax Committee, over the first nine months of 2023, 61 international tech firms contributed 101.9 billion UZS in taxes, marking a 2.1-fold increase year-on-year, while the volume of digital services grew from 440.8 billion UZS to 849.1 billion UZS — a 1.9-fold rise.

The majority of tax revenues — 99.9% — came from ten major IT companies. Meta led the group with 41.1 billion UZS in tax payments, followed by Google with 26.1 billion UZS. Together, these two companies accounted for two-thirds of both total services and tax payments.

Apple held third place, paying 22.6 billion UZS, with Amazon rising to fourth, surpassing Booking.com by contributing 3.7 billion UZS. Booking.com followed with payments of 2.1 billion UZS. Yandex Europe rejoined the top ten with 1.1 billion UZS in tax payments, overtaking software company Adobe.

The list of leading taxpayers was completed by Zoom (1.37 billion UZS), Netflix (1.35 billion UZS), Acca (1.2 billion UZS), and Xsolla (900.3 million UZS).

Since the start of 2020, foreign legal entities delivering electronic goods and services in Uzbekistan are recognized as taxpayers for services provided to individuals in the country. In response, the Tax Committee established a VAT office to help foreign IT firms register and pay taxes, simplifying compliance for international businesses operating in Uzbekistan. This year, foreign tech companies’ contributions have surged by 56.2% to almost 70 billion UZS.