Tax Committee reports record high VAT refunds amid new policies

The refund volume grew by 15.9% compared to the previous year. In contrast, the growth in 2023 (19.66 trillion UZS) was only 1.8%.

Last year, the committee processed 10,700 refund applications submitted by 5,262 companies. More than half of the approved applications came from exporters (1,965 in total), who received 5.5 trillion UZS in payments.

Nearly two-thirds of the VAT refunds — 15.04 trillion UZS — went to industrial enterprises. This was followed by the service sector with 3.26 trillion UZS (14.3%) and the trade sector with 1.22 trillion UZS (5.4%).

In the construction sector, 876.8 billion UZS in VAT payments were refunded, while the transport industry received 549.6 billion UZS. Companies in the telecommunications and IT sectors received 14.8 billion UZS.

Since February 2024, enterprises with the highest stability rating (AAA) have been eligible for expedited VAT refunds — processed within one day and without inspections. These companies are also exempt from all tax audits unrelated to criminal cases.

In addition, the Cabinet of Ministers approved a procedure in November to partially refund VAT to businesses in the hospitality and food service sectors. Hotels and tour operators will receive 20% of the VAT amount, while restaurants will be refunded 20% to 40%, depending on the proportion of cashless transactions.