DUSHANBE (Asia-Plus) — Inhabitants of Dushanbe consume more than 480,000 tons of food per year. VAT exemption would help decrease prices.

Presenting the bill to lawmakers, the Deputy Minister of Finance, Ms. Mehrinamo Jonmahmadzoda, said the government intended to take measures to curb prices for essential goods in Dushanbe. According to her, there are more than 1.2 mln people living in the Tajik capital today and they reportedly consume 4.1 bln somoni worth of more than 480,000 tons of food products per year.

“Last year, prices for fruits and vegetables at Dushanbe’s bazaars rose 48.4%, meat prices rose 12.2%, milk prices rose 5.6% and wheat flour prices last year rose 1.2%”, Ms. Jonmahmadzoda noted.

The Majlisi Namoyandagon (مجلس نمایندگان,Tajikistan’s lower chamber of parliament) has endorsed the draft law on amendments made by the government to the country’s law on the national budget for 2018. A regular sitting of the chamber, presided over by its head, Shukurjon Zuhurov, was held on March 6.

Jonmahmadzoda further stressed that amendments made to the country’s law on the national budget for 2018, in particular, provided for exempting the State Unitary Enterprise (SUE) on Production, Purchase and Sale of the Essential Goods in Dushanbe from paying the value added tax (VAT) that would lead to decrease in prices for basic food products at Dushanbe’s bazaars.