Uzbekistan introduces 50% VAT cashback for major business tourism events

The Cabinet of Ministers approved the relevant regulation on July 8.

Under the new rules, organizers of conferences and other business events attended by at least 100 foreign participants will be eligible for a budget-funded reimbursement equal to 50% of the VAT they have paid. The cashback will be granted once for each qualifying event.

To receive the reimbursement, organizers must submit an application to the State Tax Committee within three months after the event concludes.

The application must include information about the event and its program, a cost estimate for organizational expenses, bank payment receipts, electronic invoices and online cash register receipts, where applicable, as well as any other documents required by law.

The Tourism Committee will review the application within five days. If approved, the committee will forward the documents, together with its electronic opinion, to the State Tax Committee.

The applicant may then request a 50% VAT refund through the Soliq mobile application or the electronic tax services portal within three months of submitting the VAT return.

The State Tax Committee will verify that the applicant has paid the VAT and complied with all eligibility requirements using data from its automated information system. The reimbursable amount may not exceed 50% of the VAT credited for goods and services purchased directly for the organization of the event.

The electronic opinion will be generated automatically by the system. Once a positive decision is issued, the State Tax Committee will send a payment request to the Treasury Committee under the Ministry of Economy and Finance.

The reimbursement will be transferred to the applicant's bank account within 15 working days after the payment request is submitted. Applications from businesses classified as having a high tax risk may be subject to additional verification.