The government of Tajikistan has ordered to write off tax debts of several state-run enterprises, deeming them irrecoverable.
According to a government decree, posted on the Ministry of Justice’s legal information portal, tax arrears totaling about 33.2 million somonis (over US$3.1 million) will be written off.
The debts, which include taxes, fines, and interest, were reportedly accumulated before April 1, 2024. In total, taxes amounting to more than 17.7 million somonis and fines and interest totaling 15.4 million somonis are being written off.
Notably, large tax debts are being forgiven for Tajikistan national air carrier, Open Joint-Stock Company (OJSC) Tajik Air, (approximately 15.5 million somonis) and the Nazar-Ayloq Coal Deposit enterprise (over 14.8 million somonis), a subsidiary of the State Unitary Enterprise (SUE) Angishti Tojik.
Other debts to be written off include those of OJSC Parmakunii Chanubi (over 1.3 million somonis), fully owned by the government, GUSP Tajikinvestment (about 1.2 million somonis), and the Shuroobod Coal Deposit (around 367,000 somonis).
Earlier, it was reported that the government had forgiven tax debts of over 43.6 million somonis (more than US$4 million) for SUE Housing and Communal Services, accumulated before April 1, 2024.
Tax debts have also been forgiven for enterprises under the Communications Service (OJSC Tajiktelecom and SUE Center for Electromagnetic Compatibility and Radiomonitoring), OJSC Tajiktransgaz (state-run natural gas distributor), OJSC Sughdiyon (owned by the State Material Reserves Agency), and OJSC Barqi Tojik, in which the government owns all shares.
Interest on taxes has been written off for OJSC NBO Roghun, another government-owned company, among others.
The authorities justify such leniency as a measure to improve the financial and economic health of state-run enterprises. In early 2019, the government issued a decree instructing relevant ministries and agencies to take effective measures to reduce the debts of large state-run enterprises. Since then, tax debt forgiveness for state-run enterprises has become a common practice in the country.
