Uzbekistan to introduce export duties on 86 goods in line with WTO norms from July

TASHKENT. March 18 (Interfax) - Export duties on 86 types of goods will be introduced in Uzbekistan starting July 1 in line with a decree of President Shavkat Mirziyoyev.

The text of the document was published in the country's national legislative database.

"The main purpose of adopting this decree is determined as aligning export procedures with the provisions of the World Trade Organization (WTO)," the decree said.

According to the decree, export duties will be imposed on leather raw materials and semi-finished products, silk raw materials, cotton yarn and knitwear. Previously, their export was subject to fees collected by industry associations, which are now being abolished. Additionally, duties will be introduced for meat, wheat, rice, mineral fertilizers, polyethylene (PET) waste and non-ferrous metal scrap. The requirement for presidential or government approval for exporting them is also being eliminated.

Duties will also be levied on strategic raw materials produced domestically to support local processing industries. This list includes natural gas, cotton fiber and linters, polyethylene, polypropylene, polystyrene, polyethylene terephthalate, PVC, copper raw materials and certain fertilizers.

"Export duties aim to increase the investment attractiveness of processing enterprises. The new measures are expected to boost the production of high-value-added goods based on local raw materials," the country's customs committee said.

In turn, the president's special representative for WTO issues, Azizbek Urunov, said on his LinkedIn page that Uzbekistan is returning to the practice of export duties which was abolished in 1997. Subsequently, lists of goods prohibited for export or allowed only with permission were introduced.

"In 2017, the list of export bans was abolished, and the current decree eliminates the practice of export permits. Its main problem was the lack of transparency in the criteria for granting permits. Now, with the abolition of permits and the introduction of export duties, export procedures are becoming clearer and more transparent," Urunov said. The WTO prohibits any export restrictions other than duties, he said.

President Mirziyoyev said at the end of December 2024 that Uzbekistan's accession process to the WTO is entering its final stage. Previously, in early June 2024, the authorities stripped several large state-owned companies in the metallurgy, chemical and energy sectors of exclusive economic rights in order to accelerate market reforms and harmonize national legislation with WTO requirements.

Uzbekistan resumed its efforts to join the WTO in 2017. In July 2019, the Uzbek side submitted an updated memorandum on the foreign trade regime to the WTO for consideration of the country's accession application. At the end of June 2022, negotiations began between the Uzbek side and WTO member countries on the terms of accession.

At the end of May 2024, during negotiations at the WTO headquarters in Geneva, Deputy Prime Minister Jamshid Khojaev announced Uzbekistan's intention to become a member of the organization by 2026. The WTO working group called on the government to take on additional commitments.