Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.uz) — Uzbekistan’s Tax Committee held a meeting with representatives of German companies operating in the country to discuss tax administration, business conditions and ways to improve engagement with foreign investors, the committee’s press service said.
Around 300 enterprises with German capital currently operate in Uzbekistan. The meeting was held at the initiative of the Association of German Businesses in Uzbekistan (VDWU) and was attended by heads of relevant departments and divisions of the Tax Committee.
As of the end of the first seven months of 2026, enterprises with German participation employed 46,600 people. Their payroll increased by approximately 7% compared with the same period last year.
Over the first eight months of the year, enterprises with German participation paid more than 5.1 trillion soums in taxes, approximately 8% more than a year earlier. The amount of VAT refunds totaled around 219 billion soums, an increase of more than two-thirds. At the same time, the companies received tax benefits worth more than 1.3 trillion soums.
During the meeting, representatives of German businesses were briefed on the operating conditions for foreign investors. Uzbekistan’s corporate income tax rate is 15%, while VAT is 12%. A double taxation avoidance agreement has been in effect between the two countries since 1999.
An automated VAT refund procedure for low-risk taxpayers is planned to be introduced from 1 January 2027. Representatives of German companies were also briefed on the application of the simplified VAT payment procedure.
Particular attention was paid to practical issues arising in the operations of enterprises. Representatives of Papenburg Uzbekistan reported difficulties related to differences in the timing of information updates and synchronization across the information systems of government agencies. According to them, this can in some cases result in additional administrative costs.
Participants discussed further improvements to interagency information exchange and faster data transmission.
At the same time, it was noted that the development of digital tax administration tools should preserve taxpayers’ ability to communicate directly with tax officials on issues requiring individual consideration.
German companies proposed creating a dedicated rapid communication channel through which responsible Tax Committee specialists could advise business representatives on practical matters.
Following the meeting, the sides agreed to develop this format of engagement on a regular basis. The possibility of appointing a designated contact person for German investors to promptly address emerging issues is also being considered.
The Tax Committee noted that such meetings help identify practical business problems and improve tax administration in line with the needs of foreign investors.
