DUSHANBE, October 28, 2009, Asia-Plus  -- A session of the working group of the lower house (Majlisi Namoyandagon) of parliament (Majlisi Oli) for making changes and addenda to the country’s customs code, presided over by the deputy speaker of the Majlisi Namoyandagon, Safar Safarov, was held in Dushanbe on October 27.

Muhammadato Sultonov, a spokesman for the Majlisi Namoyandagon, said that the meeting participants included representatives of the government, senior representatives of ministries and organizations as well as deputies of the Majlisi Namoyandagon.

Amendments have been proposed mainly to Article 16 of the Customs Code.  Under the amendments, customs authorities will have the right to demand customs debt repayments without legal proceedings, i.e. they will have the right to attach the properties of nonpayers as well as suspend their bank accounts and collect money from debtors’ bank accounts.

Of 80 amendments proposed to the customs code, parliamentarians adopted 35.

Adoption of these amendments will promote increase in tax proceeds into the national budget and decrease risks of impact of the global financial crisis on the country’s economy, Sultonov said.