Uzbekistan: Parliament Approves 2010 Budget

The Uzbek parliament has approved the state budget for 2010, a plan that strives to expand the social safety net while easing the tax burden on individuals and businesses.

A report distributed by the National News Agency of Uzbekistan (UzA) on November 3 failed to specify the amount of money the state was to spend in 2010. The report did say, however, that about 59 percent of state expenditures would be devoted to social protection measures.

Business taxes will decrease by 1 percent to 9 percent, according to a report distributed by the CA-News.org news service on November 3. The move is projected to save firms about $34 million.

The budget also plans to increase salaries, pensions and other state payments in the upcoming year. Workers in the lowest tax bracket will see their rate decreased from 12 percent to 11 percent, the UzA report stated.