️ In Tashkent, the well-known bookseller Khayrulla Asadov, nicknamed "Living Book," has been fined for illegal entrepreneurship. A tax inspection revealed that Asadov was trading without registration, failed to record 20,000 soums through a cash register, and did not issue a receipt to a customer. The Mirzo-Ulugbek District Court imposed a fine of over two million soums on him and confiscated 100 books valued at more than 1.5 million soums.

️ The court explained its decision, stating, "Despite the high spiritual value of books, when sold, they are goods that require compliance with trade rules." This situation has sparked widespread reaction among the capital's book lovers and led to significant public resonance, raising questions about the balance between cultural activities and legal regulations in Uzbekistan's push to modernize its economy.

️ In response, the Agency for Youth Affairs offered Asadov an optimal solution to transition his street book sales into a modern, convenient, and organized format. The agency announced, "To adequately support enthusiast Khayrulla Asadov, he will be provided with a modern second-hand book kiosk and over two thousand books for stable and systematic organization of activities." Asadov gained popularity by promoting reading and selling books through a mobile sales point, sharing enlightenment directly on the streets.

️ It is worth noting that the Uzbek authorities aim to increase the reading level to 10 books per person per year. This incident highlights the challenges faced by informal cultural initiatives amid tightening regulatory frameworks and could impact public perception of state-led efforts to foster a reading culture, underscoring potential friction between grassroots movements and bureaucratic enforcement.

Source: podrobno.uz