Tajikistan’s lower house (Majlisi Namoyandagon) of parliament has supported president’s initiative on introducing a two-year moratorium on inspection of privately-owned industrial production facilities.

A regular sitting of the Majlisi Namoyandagon, presided over by its head, Shukurjon Zuhurov, took place on February 7.  

Speaking at the session, Farrukh Hamralizoda, the head of the State Committee on Investment and State-owned Property Management (GosKomInvest), noted that President Rahmon signed a decree aimed at creating a favorable climate for the development of productive entrepreneurship on January 16, 2018.  

“After adoption of the moratorium law a special list of privately-owned industrial production facilities will be made and they will have the right to apply to relevant government bodies over violation of this law,” Hamralizoda said.  

The Majlisi Namoyandagon today also supported president’s initiative on making amendments to the country’s tax code, which, in particular, provide for exempting payment of value added tax (VAT) and customs duties for planes, locomotives and passenger cars being delivered to the country by Tajik Air (Tajik national air carrier) and Tajik Railways (Tajik national railway company).  

Recall, under the moratorium decree proposed by the president to the parliament, tax officials, prosecutors, the auditing chamber and anticorruption officials and the National Bank will still be allowed to run checks, so it is not immediately obvious that businessmen will be getting much relief.

Checks could only go ahead when there was a suspicion that consumer rights were somehow being violated.  The moratorium extends only to production facilities, not other types of enterprises.

During an address to the joint session of both chambers of parliament in December, the president spoke about his professed concern for the frequency of raids on private enterprises, saying it was cramping the development of the business community.