According to the decree, the excise tax rate on the sale of imported natural gas will be zeroed.

Also, from January 1, 2022, liquefied gas from local producers will be exempted from excise duty. In addition, importers of natural and liquefied gas will be able to pay VAT in instalments up to 120 days, without interest or providing a deposit.

Earlier, the president signed a law according to which the import of blue fuel is not subject to customs duties.

From exporters to importers

According to Gazprom, in 2020-2021, Uzbekistan from a gas exporting country became an importer. The country received 0.9 billion cubic meters from Turkmenistan. of blue fuel last year and 1.5 billion cubic meters. – only for the first quarter of this year.

At the same time, only 0.54 billion cubic meters were supplied to China in the first quarter, and the sale of gas to Russia has completely stopped. The Ministry of Energy assumes that gas exports will completely stop by 2025.

At a pre-election event in Jizzak on October 21, Mirziyoyev said that Uzbekistan does not intend to again increase gas sales abroad. However, the country will increase imports of fuel to meet the growing needs of the industry – while coal will be used as an alternative for the time being.

“Gas is a wealth for the next generation; it does not need to be sold under any contracts,” the president said.

According to Mirziyoyev, instead of selling gas as raw material, Uzbekistan will produce products with high added value from it, for example, gasoline and polymers at the Uzbekistan GTL plant.