DUSAHNBE, August 31, Asia-Plus – Total debts of large taxpayers in Tajikistan have amounted to some 100 million Somonis, Ibrohim Ismoilov, the deputy head of the inspectorate for large taxpayers within the Ministry of State Revenues and Tax Collections (MSRTC), said in his interview with Asia-Plus.
According to him, the “Barqi Tojik” (Tajik electric systems) power holding accounts for almost 60 percent of total debts of the country’s large taxpayers. “The power holding now owes 59.9 million Somonis for taxes,” Mr. Ismoilov said.
“The debt is increasing every month,” said Ibrohim Ismoilov, “However, “Barqi Tojik” is delaying repayments of its tax debts.”
Realizing that the power holding is the only monopolist on electricity supplies in the country, the inspectorate has still refrained from introducing more rigid measures such as arrest of its properties or any other mechanisms of pressure provided for by the Tax Code against it, according to Ismoilov. “A month ago we appealed to court for resolving the problem, but the case did not begin because “Barqi Tojik” pledged itself to pay taxes regularly,” said the MSRTC official, “Unfortunately, the holding did not keep its word.”
According to him, of 165 entities put on the list of large taxpayers, 40 have tax debts. “Since the beginning of the year, the inspectorate has applied more than 30 times to courts on this subject,” Ibrohim Ismoilov said.
The MSRTC official claims the main reason for increase in tax debts is Article 94 of Tajikistan’s Tax Code adopted in 2005. “Under this article tax services should appeal to courts on problems of tax arrears,” Ismoilov said.
“Before that, the problem of tax debts was being resolved without interference of courts; by ruling of the first person of the tax service, arrest of debtor’s property or its bank account,” said Ismoilov, “Appeals to courts do not yield any results.”
Besides, a practice of supporting farming units through writing off their tax debts is also one factors contributing to increase in tax debts in the country, according to him.
“Since 1999, for the purpose of supporting agrarian sector the country’s government has passed a number of resolutions on restructuring or writing off the farms’ debts to the national budget,” Ibrohim Ismoilov said.
