Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev has signed a resolution “On Measures to Improve the Mechanisms for Pre-Trial Resolution of Tax Disputes.”

The document aims to reduce the time and costs associated with resolving tax disputes between business entities and tax authorities.

In accordance with the resolution, an Expert Council on Tax Disputes will be established under the Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCI). The council will include specialists in taxation, economics, finance, and legal regulation.

The primary responsibilities of the council will include reviewing tax disputes, providing expert opinions, studying legislation and law enforcement practices, and developing recommendations for improvement.

The council will also work to build cooperation with the business community, government agencies, and academic institutions.

The Expert Council will function as a permanent collegial body, with the CCI designated as its administrative body. Meetings of the council will be held at least twice a month.

The council is authorized to review complaints from entrepreneurs who disagree with the decisions of tax authorities, except in cases that are part of criminal proceedings or already under judicial review.

Upon review, the council issues conclusions that must be submitted to tax, customs, and other government bodies, as well as communicated to the relevant business entities.

The council may engage professionals and experts with relevant expertise. The CCI is responsible for determining the procedure for financing their work.

The Expert Council also has the right to request documents and information free of charge from state bodies and other organizations, except in cases restricted by law.

The CCI, together with interested ministries and agencies, is tasked with organizing the council’s activities within two months, conducting awareness campaigns on the benefits of pre-trial resolution of tax disputes, approving a quarterly plan of related events, and submitting the council’s charter to the Cabinet of Ministers for approval.

The council will be required to summarize its results quarterly and report recurring issues and suggested solutions to government bodies and the public.

The Tax Committee has been instructed to digitize pre-trial tax dispute resolution processes, introduce artificial intelligence technologies, develop interdepartmental electronic data exchange, enable remote participation in council meetings, and provide special facilities for taxpayers and their representatives.

The council includes representatives from the CCI, state agencies, the Tashkent International Arbitration Center, among others.