DUSHANBE, July 26, 2010, Asia-Plus — Artificial restrictions imposed on Tajikistan by neighbors have impeded normal foreign economic activity of the country that has led to non-implementation of some items of the revenue part of Tajikistan’s national budget for 2010.
Chairman of the National Bank of Tajikistan (NBT), Sharif Rahimzoda, remarked this at a news conference in Dushanbe on July 26.
“The most negative impact on the revenue part of the country’s budget was Uzbekistan’s halting of freight cars bound for Tajikistan,” said the Tajik central bank head, “Quality of many products has lessened and they have become unfit for realization. The national budget has been affected correspondingly.”
He noted that by their actions, Uzbek authorities have impeded the normal process of foreign economic relations of Tajikistan. “Many local entrepreneurs dealing with delivery of goods to Tajikistan have been forced to review their operating schedules, some of them have even refrained from supplying goods to the country,” said Rahimzoda, “Some other entrepreneurs have been forced to use motor transport that have led to increase in their expenditures. Increase in entrepreneurs’ expenditures means decrease in their incomes and the fall in tax receipts.”
The other problem that has affected tax receipts is the rise in international prices of wheat flour in connections with this year’s drought. “Thus, hike in prices of wheat flour in Tajikistan has resulted from the rising cost of grains and flour in Kazakhstan, which provides the bulk of Tajikistan’s flour imports,” Rahimzoda said.
We will recall that Tajikistan’s national budget has received taxes some 180 million somoni less in the first half-year of 2010.
