Objections to the proposal to mark oil: "First, the problems in the marking system must be solved"
The Tax Committee intends to include vegetable oil in the mandatory labeling system, and the draft resolution regarding this has been published. According to Kun.uz's interlocutors, the impact of this decision on prices, purchasing power of the population, and manufacturers needs to be assessed in advance. Labeling is causing many problems for entrepreneurs, and it is advisable to stop expanding the system until these issues are resolved.
Objections raised against the proposal to label oil: "Problems in the marking system must be solved first"
Opinions were expressed regarding the proposal for mandatory digital marking of vegetable oil, as well as its potential impact on business costs and consumer prices.
According to Bakirov, the economic justifications for the proposal, specifically calculations regarding the volume of the shadow turnover in the sector and the expected effect from marking, were not provided.
“How big is our market? According to their estimates, how much counterfeit goods exist, or what is the turnover and production of vegetable oil that falls under the criteria of the shadow economy? There is no information. Nor is there any expected economic benefit from this.
No calculations have been provided showing that 'this much cost will be imposed on our business, trade, and consumers, and we will get this much economic benefit from it.' Before adding any commodity to the list of marked goods, there should be independent evaluations,” the economist said.
He emphasized that oil is an essential daily consumer product and stated that the impact of additional costs on low-income families must also be calculated in advance.
"More products are being added without resolving the problems in the system"
According to Murod Muhammadjonov, before expanding the scope of marking, it is necessary to find solutions to the production and logistics problems of the current system.
“First of all, we need an answer to the question of whether the marking system worked properly or not. There are difficulties in the production process. If there is a single error in the laser, the whole line stops, and it has to be restarted again.
There are also problems in logistics. Code duplication is being observed: if you try to scan a marked product code, it turns out to have been used elsewhere. Additional goods are being added to the system before the problems within the system itself have been resolved,” the tax consultant said.
He stressed that one cannot limit oneself merely to the fact that there is an opportunity to eliminate technical problems. The time, labor, and money spent by businesses for this purpose must also be calculated.
Muhammadjonov stated the need to be particularly cautious in introducing such a requirement for vegetable oil. In his opinion, if the additional cost remains with the business, it will limit the enterprise's development capabilities; if passed on to the price, it will reduce the purchasing power of the population.