Tashkent, Samarkand and Bukhara plan to introduce a Tax-Free system – a procedure of refunding value-added tax (VAT) paid to foreign nationals for the purchased goods when crossing the border of Uzbekistan, the presidential press secretary Sherzod Asadov has reported.
President Shavkat Mirziyoyev said that the volume of retail trade could be increased two or threefold through the introduction of the Tax-Free system in Tashkent, Samarkand and Bukhara, as well as the opening of Duty-Free stores in the cities.
In addition, plans to introduce a system of refunds to foreigners of the amount of VAT paid were discussed back in 2017. In July 2019, a presidential decree was issued, which provided for the introduction of this system.
The Ministry of Finance proposed to introduce Tax-Free from July 1, 2020. It was expected that there would be points at airports where foreigners would be able to present a check and get back the amount of VAT. The money was planned to be allocated from the state budget. (Uzreport/Business World Magazine)
