The changes were made to the Law on Guarantees of Freedom of Entrepreneurial Activity.
Under the amended Article 30¹, the state guarantees the full application of tax and customs benefits, financial and other forms of support, as well as non-material preferences provided to businesses under legislation.
State bodies and officials are prohibited from unjustifiably refusing businesses access to benefits and preferences established by law or from creating obstacles to their use.
The Ministry of Economy and Finance will maintain a dedicated register on a special platform containing information on the types of benefits and preferences available to businesses, their duration and the procedures for obtaining them.
The Cabinet of Ministers will determine how the register is formed and regularly updated.
The amended law specifically stipulates that benefits and preferences granted by the state must not be provided on an individual basis. Instead, they must apply to businesses operating in particular economic sectors, industries or regions.
The measures must be based on open and transparent criteria and applied on equal terms to all businesses that meet the relevant requirements.
The changes come shortly after President Shavkat Mirziyoyev announced a package of measures aimed at easing conditions for businesses during his August 18 meeting with entrepreneurs.
Among the measures announced were a reduction in the required advance payment for electricity and gas from 100% to 15% for companies that maintain payment discipline, a three-year moratorium on inspections of small businesses, an average twofold reduction in financial penalties and the introduction of a “silence means consent” principle for government services.
