Радио Озоди: Paying Taxes 2019 TJ худшая страна по налогам

The article reports that Tajikistan ranked among the nine countries with the highest tax burden in the “Paying Taxes 2019” study conducted by PricewaterhouseCoopers in cooperation with the World Bank. According to the article, Tajikistan’s total tax rate reached 67.3%, measured as the share of taxes and contributions in company profits. Only the Comoros (219.6%), Argentina (106%), Bolivia and Eritrea (83.7%), Equatorial Guinea (79.4%), Palau (75.8%), the Central African Republic (73.3%), Colombia (71.9%) and Afghanistan (71.4%) were reported to be higher. Among Central Asian states, the article notes that Kyrgyzstan ranked 50th (29%), Kazakhstan 56th and Uzbekistan 64th. Radio Ozodi reports that Shodiyon Zavkibek, head of the Tax Legislation Department of Tajikistan’s Tax Committee, disagreed with the findings, saying the authors did not account for recent tax reforms or exemptions granted to certain enterprises. Local experts cited in the article disagreed with this rebuttal. Economist Masud Sobirov is quoted as stating that recent revisions to the tax system have not favoured local business and that tens of thousands of entrepreneurs had been pushed out of the market. The article reports that the Association of Entrepreneurs of Tajikistan had previously stated that more than 200,000 entrepreneurs ceased activity in 2017. Separately, the State Committee on Investments reported more than 7,300 legal entities (medium and large businesses) had closed over 2014–2017, with 558 closing in the first half of 2018 alone. Parliamentary deputy Olimjon Boboev is quoted as saying the total tax rate should not exceed 36–40% and that some taxes are duplicated, with the road users tax itself subject to VAT. The article reports that PwC analyses tax legislation and enforcement practice in 190 countries, using total tax rate, compliance time and number of payments as benchmarks.