The mandatory annual environmental fee for vehicles older than 30 years will be dropped from the proposed end-of-life vehicle recycling program, the Waste Management and Circular Economy Development Agency said.
The initially proposed rule would have required owners of vehicles aged 30 years and older to pay an annual environmental compensation fee of 30 Base Calculating Quantities (BCQ), equivalent to 12.4 million soums. The agency stated that following public consultations and review of feedback, the draft proposal is undergoing a "radical overhaul."
Instead of administrative coercion, the new strategy will focus on financial incentives for citizens. To support this, the country plans to establish a network of independent vehicle appraisal and recycling enterprises, which will be selected through open and transparent public tenders.
Old vehicles will be appraised at fair market value. Even non-functional cars that can no longer be driven can be inspected on-site by specialists at their current location.
Following the appraisal, owners will be offered two choices: receive a cash payout equal to the vehicle's appraised value, or opt for a special voucher. This voucher can be used as a down payment toward a new vehicle purchase from official dealerships.
The voucher's value will be deducted from the price of the new car, and the remaining balance can be financed through an interest-free installment plan spanning two to seven years. If a citizen decides not to use the voucher, they can cash it out for its full value within one month.
The agency provided a practical example: if an old car—such as a GAZ-24, a Moskvitch, or a first-generation Nexia—is valued at 5 million soums, the owner can use this amount as a down payment for a new Chevrolet Cobalt priced at 165 million soums. The remaining 160 million soums can then be paid off over seven years in equal monthly installments of 1.9 million soums, entirely interest-free.
If an older vehicle is appraised at 70 million soums, the monthly payment for a new Cobalt under the same seven-year interest-free plan would drop to 1.13 million soums.
A portion of the operational costs incurred by the independent vehicle appraisal and recycling firms will be subsidized using funds generated from the state recycling fee.
According to agency data, there are approximately 5 million vehicles in Uzbekistan, roughly 100,000 of which are completely non-functional. The agency asserts that these specific end-of-life vehicles are responsible for 63% of harmful urban emissions. Furthermore, recycling a single old car generates up to 50 kilograms of hazardous solid waste, alongside salvageable metal and plastic components.
The agency emphasized that the draft proposal is not yet finalized. The document will undergo further revisions based on public feedback and consultation with industry specialists. The regulatory body actively encourages the public to submit their suggestions, comments, and recommendations.
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