Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — Nodir Musamuhamedov, Deputy Chairman of the Customs Committee of Uzbekistan, spoke in an interview with the “Uzbekistan 24” TV channel about the identified forms of the shadow economy in the customs sector and measures to reduce it.

According to him, the shadow economy in customs activities today manifests itself in five main forms: undervaluation of customs declared goods; misuse of granted benefits; attempts to artificially inflate prices on preferential goods to move foreign currency abroad; importation of commercial cargo by individuals disguised as personal use goods; and direct violations of the law when goods cross the border under altered names or product codes.

In line with President Shavkat Mirziyoyev’s directives given on August 11, the first step will be to simplify the import procedure. Currently, processing takes two to three days and costs between 15 and 25 million soms, since transit declarations are completed at the border, but release for free circulation occurs only after delivery to customs warehouses and receipt of all permits.

In the future, declaration processing will be moved directly to the border, and the system for issuing certificates and permits will be optimized. Musamuhamedov noted that this approach draws on the experience of developed countries and risk management systems, which will simplify trade procedures and allow goods to be released for free circulation immediately upon crossing the border.

He also mentioned that as part of Uzbekistan’s accession to the World Trade Organization, customs tariffs are being reviewed. The analysis shows that excessively high rates encourage circumvention schemes, so optimization is planned in cooperation with relevant agencies.

Musamuhamedov emphasized that the phased implementation of the President’s directives will be an important factor in reducing and eventually eliminating the shadow economy.