Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — In 2024, Uzbekistan’s Prosecutor General’s Office uncovered shadow transactions and recovered nearly 16 trillion soums for the state budget, the agency’s press service reported.

On March 20, an extended meeting of the Special Commission on Reducing the Shadow Economy was held under the chairmanship of Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance Jamshid Kuchkarov and Prosecutor General Nigmatilla Yuldashev. During the meeting, officials emphasized that last year, a systematic approach was established to identify additional sources of budget revenue, including cracking down on shadow schemes and utilizing untapped reserves.

As a result, more than 747,000 instances of undeclared transactions were detected, leading to an additional inflow of 15.9 trillion soums into the state budget.

Moreover, over 15,000 informal jobs were legalized, and 9,000 entrepreneurs who had previously operated in the shadow economy transitioned to the formal business sector.

Despite these achievements, analysis revealed that the scale of the shadow economy remains significant, and the measures taken by responsible officials have not been sufficient to bring about a fundamental improvement in the situation.

As part of ongoing criminal investigations related to shadow activities, approximately 2 trillion soums in damages have been recovered.

The Special Commission has instructed authorities to implement measures aimed at improving tax and customs administration, reducing the tax burden, eliminating bureaucratic obstacles for businesses, and advancing the digitalization of the economy. These steps are expected to contribute to a reduction in the shadow sector and an increase in budget revenues.

Particular attention has been given to combating shadow schemes and corruption in sectors such as pharmaceuticals, transportation, construction, geology, agriculture, tourism, and employment.