DUSHANBE, January 28, 2009, Asia-Plus — In 2008, the country’s national budget received 133 million somoni (equivalent to some $37 million) less than it was originally planned, Deputy Finance Minister, Jamoliddin Nouraliyev, told a press conference in Dushanbe on January 27.
According to him, targets on four types of taxes as well as non-tax revenue income and grants were not fulfilled last year.
“The budget received 5.2 million somoni less from the single tax collected from farmers, 24.2 million somoni less from the sales tax on cotton fiber, 9 million somoni less from VAT, and 5.6 million somoni less from the sales tax for processed products,” said the deputy minister, “Besides, the budget received 21 million somoni less from the National Bank of Tajikistan (NBT) in payment of interest upon deposits of the republican budget.”
In all, the budget for 2008 was overfulfilled by 6 percent, with total receipt of 5.3 billion somoni, which was 1.6 billion somoni more than in 2007, Nouraliyev said.
He further added that some districts of the country, including Vakhsh and Qubodiyon districts in Khatlon, Mastchoh district in Sughd, and Vahdat that is subordinate to the center, had failed to fulfill their local tax targets.
Nouraliyev named decrease in the volume of production of industrial goods and landslide of prices of products and services as the main factors for non-fulfillment of the targets.
The other reason for non-fulfillment of the internal revenue targets is increasing tax and social fee arrears. “Increasing tax arrears evoke serious concern,” the deputy minister said.
