President Shavkat Mirziyoyev of Uzbekistan has sharply criticized regional authorities for the persistently high levels of shadow economy during a video conference meeting on economic growth. The president noted that in six regions—Jizzakh, Kashkadarya, Namangan, Samarkand, Surkhandarya, and Khorezm—the informal sector exceeds 40%, while in Andijan, Fergana, and Bukhara it stands at over 30%.

Mirziyoyev stressed that this situation deprives the budget of billions of sums needed for social development and ordered law enforcement and tax authorities to implement a unified methodology to combat the shadow sector in every district.

A detailed analysis of Bukhara region revealed alarming figures. In the construction sector alone, approximately 1.8 trillion sums in turnover were concealed during the first quarter through underreporting of housing prices. Additionally, over 900 enterprises officially listed as inactive continued to operate illegally, consuming 1.3 million kWh of electricity and nearly half a million cubic meters of gas over two months.

The logistics sector also saw massive violations: 12,500 trucks were found conducting illegal transportation without paying taxes, causing 40 billion sums in budget losses.

In response, the Prosecutor General's Office, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and the Tax Service have been instructed to immediately begin work under the new methodology aimed at legalizing businesses and eliminating gray schemes across all economic sectors.

Source: podrobno.uz