Uzbekistan Plans to Cut Customs Duties on More Than 200 Imported Goods

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — Uzbekistan plans to reduce customs duties on around 200 categories of imported goods, Deputy Prime Minister Jamshid Khodjaev said on 14 February during an open dialogue between a government commission and exporters of fruit, vegetables, and food products.

The discussion was prompted by an issue raised by one of the founders of Brightly Mega Water from Surkhandarya Region. According to him, the company imports fruit-processing equipment and modern packaging boxes from China, which are subject to a 20 percent customs duty, while Tetra Pak packaging is exempt from similar tariffs. He stressed that such boxes are not produced domestically, yet their import is still taxed. Appeals submitted to the president’s virtual reception and the State Customs Committee of Uzbekistan, he added, produced no tangible results.

Commenting on the matter, Khodjaev said that amendments are currently being developed for more than 200 foreign trade commodity classification codes. “Today I can inform our entrepreneurs of this,” the deputy prime minister emphasized.

He also addressed a representative of the Cabinet of Ministers of Uzbekistan, asking about the list of goods for which customs duties are expected to be eliminated or reduced. According to him, work is underway on 203 product positions, with tariff reductions planned for 183 of them.

The deputy prime minister instructed the State Customs Committee to further examine the specific case raised by the entrepreneur and to include packaging products in the list if they are indeed not manufactured domestically.

The government intends to update the presidential resolution of 29 June 2018 (PP-3818), as the validity of a significant portion of the customs incentives stipulated in that document has expired. The revised regulation is still being finalized, and the definitive list of products has not yet been approved.

Earlier, on 13 February, the president instructed officials during a videoconference meeting to review import duties on raw materials used in industry, including precious stones for the jewelry sector, heat-resistant paints for metallurgy, and citrus concentrates for the food industry.

In addition, relevant agencies were tasked with assessing small businesses’ demand for raw materials, identifying countries of origin and supply prices, and calculating logistics costs. Based on these assessments, appropriate reserves are expected to be formed.