On August 3, the Prime Minister Abdulla Aripov signed a Cabinet of Ministers‘ resolution regulating retail trade in goods subject to mandatory digital labeling.
By September 1, 2024, the registration of businesses engaged in the retail sale of alcoholic, tobacco and beer products, household appliances and medicines in the Asl Belgisi system and compliance with digital labeling requirements will be taken under oversight.
Businesses engaged in the retail sale of these goods will have to notify the tax office one month in advance if they want to cease their activities. Tax inspectors will check the completeness of the payment of fees and conduct an inventory of the remaining products in the warehouse within three days.
The Tax Committee, together with other ministries and departments, has been instructed to develop a document by August 1, 2026, providing for the introduction of criminal liability for importers, manufacturers, wholesalers and retailers of counterfeit products and/or products with counterfeit marking codes. It is expected that such products will also be confiscated.
The Tax Committee will also set up a separate structure with seven employees to monitor compliance with digital marking requirements, combat shadow production and distribution of counterfeit goods in order to ensure the completeness of tax revenues.
By November 1, 2024, it has been instructed to develop a regulatory document providing for the transfer of wholesale trade in goods with digital marking entirely to non-cash payments.
The Resolution approved a plan of measures to accelerate digital marking processes.
In particular, the Competition and Consumer Protection Committee will have to prevent artificially inflated prices for online cash registers used to scan barcodes and digital marking codes.
In addition, it is planned to develop proposals for introducing penalties for violating labeling rules for marketplaces. It is also planned to make registration in the Asl Belgisi system mandatory for sellers on exchanges and electronic trading platforms. From January, it is planned to introduce a check of the seller's participation in the labeling system.
It is planned to adopt a system in which a sales receipt will be printed only after scanning the goods with labeling during their sale.
The Resolution proposed to take into account compliance with the rules for labeling goods in the rating of entrepreneurs' sustainability.
It is planned to allow imported and labeled goods to be released into free circulation at customs, subject to their labeling. It is proposed to display the identification code of goods and services (IKPU) in customs declarations.
the Resolution is instructed to develop and submit to the Cabinet of Ministers a draft Trade Bill by December 1.
