Poytaxt Parking Responds to Criticism Over Parking Fines

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.uz) — Poytaxt Parking, the operator of paid on-street parking in Tashkent, has issued an official statement following criticism from the People's Democratic Party of Uzbekistan (NDDP) over a draft law proposing administrative penalties for unpaid parking.

The company said it was not the initiator of the proposed amendments, has no authority to impose fines and views the public debate as an important part of the decision-making process.

In its statement, the operator said it performs only service functions under its contract with the city. According to the company, streets, roadsides and parking spaces remain state property, while Poytaxt Parking is responsible for managing paid parking zones, maintaining infrastructure, applying road markings, installing equipment and providing various payment methods.

The company also stressed that it has no role in introducing or collecting administrative fines. It said that establishing administrative liability falls exclusively within the authority of state bodies and remains the subject of public consultation. According to Poytaxt Parking, it did not participate in drafting the proposed legislation and does not make decisions on holding drivers administratively liable.

The operator added that its role is to collect parking fees and transfer the proceeds to the city budget in accordance with its agreement with the city authorities. It said the mechanism should be viewed as a source of funding for municipal needs rather than a means of generating commercial profit through administrative sanctions.

Poytaxt Parking also addressed the issue of transparency, saying it is prepared to disclose information within its area of responsibility, including the number of users, parking fee collections, transfers to the city budget and fulfilment of its contractual obligations. The company said publishing verifiable data would help address public concerns.

According to the statement, the company's main objective is to improve service quality and create a convenient parking system. It identified transparent tariffs, accessible payment methods, effective navigation and proper customer service among its priorities. The operator said better parking management helps reduce traffic congestion and disorderly parking, benefiting both drivers and pedestrians.

The statement followed criticism from the People's Democratic Party of Uzbekistan of a draft law proposing a new article in the Code of Administrative Responsibility. The proposal would introduce a fine of two basic calculation units for failing to pay for on-street parking.

The party said the initiative does not comply with existing legislation. It argued that the Tashkent khokimiyat does not have the right of legislative initiative to amend codes, stating that this authority belongs only to the entities specified in Article 98 of the Constitution.

The NDDP also argued that the relationship between the parking operator and users is governed by civil law. In its view, if parking fees are not paid, the operator should recover the debt through the courts rather than seek the introduction of administrative liability.

The party further opposed the use of administrative enforcement to secure the revenues of a commercial company, arguing that administrative sanctions should be applied by the state solely to protect public interests.

It also questioned figures cited by the city authorities on drivers' payment compliance, expressing doubts about claims that only 2% to 3% of users pay for parking. The party noted that no information has been published on parking revenue collections or transfers to the city budget.

The draft law prepared by the Tashkent khokimiyat remains open for public discussion until 28 July 2026. According to the explanatory note, the proposed administrative penalties are intended to address low payment compliance among drivers and the absence of legal sanctions for unpaid on-street parking.

The proposal has been raised before. In October 2025, the Tashkent authorities proposed introducing administrative liability for unpaid parking, and in March 2026 they again called for such measures. At that time, the city authorities said drivers were only being sent payment reminders without administrative penalties.