Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- As of 1 September, there are over 162,000 VAT taxpayers in Uzbekistan. This was reported by the press service of the State Tax Committee.

Over 3 years, their number has doubled, and since 2016 it has increased almost 20 times.

Specialists explain this growth, first of all, by fair distribution and reduction of the tax burden.

The VAT rate was reduced from 20% to 15% from 1 October 2019.

During an open dialogue with entrepreneurs on 22 August, the head of state announced that from 1 January 2023, the VAT rate would be reduced to 12%.

In 2022, 19.6 thousand taxpayers switched to paying VAT:

- more than half of them - on a voluntary basis,

- and 9,400 taxpayers are automatically registered as a VAT payer from the moment the tax liability arises.

The procedure for filing and considering an application for special registration as a VAT taxpayer

TOP-5 regions with the largest number of VAT taxpayers registered in 2022

- City of Tashkent – 5,300 people

- Tashkent region – 1,900 people

- Samarkand region – 1,700 people

- Ferghana region – 1,500 people

- Bukhara region – 1,300 people

Earlier it was reported that for 7 months entrepreneurs were reimbursed 9.2 trillion soums of VAT paid.