Uzbekistan intends to reduce duties on imports of goods

The draft resolution of the President of Uzbekistan “On measures to further order foreign economic activity and improve the customs and tariff regulation of the Republic of Uzbekistan” was published for discussion.

According to the document, the main principles for further improving customs and tariff regulation are:

• trengthening the regulatory function of the customs tariff based on the priorities of the development of economic sectors, aimed at harmonious integration into global value chains; constant improvement of the system of tariff regulation of foreign economic activity, taking into account the international best practices, principles and norms of the World Trade Organization in order to neutralize risks and negative consequences for the country’s economy;
• preservation of the provision of favorable conditions for imported technological equipment and equipment in order to further intensify the processes of modernization and re-equipment of domestic production, accelerated implementation of infrastructure projects;
• creation of conditions for providing local producers with raw materials and materials not produced in the country or produced in insufficient quantities and used in the export of export-oriented products;
• application of principles of tariff escalation to finished goods for development of domestic production, which contribute to a real increase in the competitiveness of domestic goods and exclude cases of groundless protection of local production;
• unification of rates of customs payments for goods similar in appearance, purpose, property and composition, goods close to the commodity nomenclature of foreign economic activity in order to exclude cases of their classification in positions subject to lower rates of customs payments for customs clearance;
• unification of excise tax rates for excisable goods imported and produced in the Republic, taking into account obligations arising from international treaties of the Republic of Uzbekistan.

The document from 1 May will set the rates of import customs duties and excise tax rates for excisable goods imported to the territory of Uzbekistan.

The document said that before 1 July 2018 Uzbekistan plans to introduce an interactive information platform "Integrated Tariff", which will allow participants in foreign economic activities to receive in real time on a free basis detailed information on the exhaustive list of documents required for customs clearance of all types of goods provided for in TN VED, including the determination of rates of customs payments, information on all regulatory documents governing the mode of movement of goods through that possible border.

Until 1 July 2018, proposals will be developed to abolish privileges on customs payments when importing goods into the country.

"It is prohibited to demand documents from the bodies of the state customs service when carrying out foreign economic activity by entities that are not provided in the" Integrated Tariff "platform, the document said.