DUSHANBE, November 28, 2011, Asia-Plus  -- The Association of Internet-Providers of Tajikistan in cooperation with the Free Market Center has organized a meeting today to discuss issues related to imposition of an excise tax on Internet-providers’ services in Tajikistan.

We will recall that Ms. Parvina Ibodova, the chairperson of the Association of Internet-Providers of Tajikistan, told Asia-Plus on November 10 that Tajikistan has imposed a 3 percent excise tax on Internet-providers’ services.

“We knew recently that the instruction of the Tax Committee under the Government of Tajikistan provides for charging excise tax on mobile communications that include Internet, IP-telephony and so forth,” said Ibodova, “It turned out that this instruction about which we learned just recently was approved as long ago as January 1, 2011.”

She added that time that the Association of Internet-Providers of Tajikistan is waiting for an official reply from the Tax Committee.

Ms. Ibodova noted today that they received the relay from the Tax Committee recently, but they are not satisfied with the reply.  “We will conduct a legal analysis of this instruction,” she said.

We will recall that Tajikistan imposed a 3 percent excise tax on mobile phone services on January 1, 2011.  Tajikistan also already charges excise taxes on alcohol, tobacco and tobacco substitutes, fuel, tires and vehicles.