November 14, 2014
The sixteenth general session of the Senate of Oliy Majlis of the Republic of Uzbekistan 2
Senate of Uzbekistan approves state budget for 2015. 2
The country’s biggest transport exhibition, TransUzbekistan 2014, has kicked off in Tashkent3
The sixteenth general session of the Senate of Oliy Majlis of the Republic of Uzbekistan
Senate of Uzbekistan approves state budget for 2015
Senate of Oliy Majlis of Uzbekistan approved a state budget for 2015 with the deficit of about 1.8 trillion soums or 1% of forecasted gross domestic product (GDP) of the country.
The income part of the state budget will make up 36.2 trillion soums (currency rates of CB RU from 14.11.2014 1$= 2392.50 soums) (20.2% of GDP) and expense part will make up 38 trillion soums (21.2% of GDP).
The budget was developed taking into account that the GDP will grow by 8%, industrial output – 8.3%, agriculture production – 6%, capital investments – 9.6%, and inflation forecasted at the level of 5.5-6.5%.
The expenses to economy will make up 2.3% of GDP, improvement of settlements, including capital and current repair of roads – 0.4%, which rose 1.3 times compared to 2014.
The Government at the same time plans to decrease rates of some taxes. In particular, the base rate of income tax for legal entities is offered to fall from 8% to 7.5%, which will allow businesses to save about 90 billion soums.
The rate of single social payment for microfirms and small enterprises, as well as farms is offered to decrease from 25% to 15%. This will decrease tax burden to labour payment fund and the businesses will save 481.8 billion soums.
The rate of single tax payment for construction organization, belonging to microfirms and small enterprises, is planned to cut from 6% to 5%.
At the same time, the rate of mandatory insurance fees of the citizens from their salaries will grow from 6.5% to 7%.
It is planned to indexing some taxes, including to property of citizens, land tax, excise tax, tax for alcohol and tobacco.
(Source: UzDaily.uz)
economy
According to the results of 9 months, enterprises of chemical industry of Uzbekistan produced goods worth 1.4 trillion soums
Today the chemical industry of Uzbekistan is one of the fastest growing industries. Manufacture of chemical products, such as nitrogen, phosphate and potash fertilizers, soda ash, acetic acid, sodium chlorate, sodium cyanide, nitric acid and others cover the needs of domestic market and the markets of neighboring countries of the Central Asian region.
Thus, according to the SJSC “Uzkimyosanoat”, in January-September 2014 enterprises of the company produced goods worth 1479 billion soums (currency rates of CB RU from 14.11.2014 1$= 2392.50 soums), hereby the growth rate of output to the same period of 2013 amounted to 104.1%. Consumer goods produced worth 140.7 billion soums (growth rate 129.5%).
In addition, mineral fertilizers produced in the volume of 881.91 thousand tons, including:
– nitrogen fertilizers – 718.55 thousand tons;
– phosphate fertilizers – 101.72 thousand tons;
– potash – 61.64 thousand tons.
According to the Program of localization in January-September 2014, produced goods to the amount 153.5 billion soums in the forecast 98.8 billion soums.
In the framework of implementation of investment projects included in the Investment program, enterprises of SJSC “Uzkimyosanoat” realized $58.12 million of investments or 101.1% against the forecast.
According to the press service of SJSC “Uzkimyosanoat”, in the first 9 months of 2014, 468 new jobs, including 61 outwork places created.
Thus, with a strong competitive advantage in the production of chemical products, which are expressed in the enormous potential of natural resources, strong industrial base and skilled workforce, the industry continues to evolve, making Uzbekistan one of the most popular participants in the global chemicals market.
(Source: «Business partner.uz» newspaper)
exhibitions
The country’s biggest transport exhibition, TransUzbekistan 2014, has kicked off in Tashkent
Today, the growth of many economies, especially in the emerging markets of Asia, is largely constrained by the lack of logistical capacities and throughways. If the countries of the region fail to build up an effective system of transport communications, they will obviously face the curb of the GDP growth. Uzbekistan has been an ambitious player in the related market. The nation is not just developing its highways as part of the global system of transit shipping, but is also initiating immense interstate infrastructural projects.
NEVER TREAT ROADS HAUGHTILY
The global economy is a living mechanism with its laws that are conditioned by numerous and constantly changing factors. The transportation issue always stands apart. In the current circumstances, even despite the instability in the world market, many states continue to invest and implement grand infrastructural projects, keeping in min6d that crises are temporary. Yet the lack of transport capacities might lead to grave predicaments in the future. History shows that schemes designed to create new transport arteries largely help to bail out a protracted economic stagnation. There is a paradigmatic case of the ‘great depression’ in the United States, which is a prototype of the current financial and economic crisis. At that time, it was tackled largely owing to the government’s breakthrough decision on the allocation of huge funds for building an extensive network of roads in the midst of the downturn. It resulted in the creation of hundreds of thousands of jobs, in the growth of core and related industries, promotion of manufacturing and consumption. Therefore, experts urge not to treat highways loftily, but intensify efforts on this front.
For Uzbekistan, building up an extensive system of transport communications is not just an end in itself to meet contemporary requirements. From time immemorial this land has been the heart of trade routes linking Asia, Europe and the Middle East. The synthesis of many cultures has built a unique transport hub here. Therefore, taking advantage of an encouraging geographical position, the nation embarked on the development of long-term programs at the turn of the 1990s to shape the transport infrastructure, and initiated many important international projects. Those days, the efforts took into account all the advantages of international cargo transit through-the territory-of the country, but above all it was vital for shoring up the national industry. It needed a convenient system for the delivery of products to all regions of the country and abroad, as well as a mechanism for transporting the raw materials and equipment. On the other hand, communications helped the real sector to attract foreign investments. After all, it is obvious that the amount of the funds the investors are willing to invest in the development of certain enterprises depends on the level of readiness of the infrastructure.
Challenging the world at the turn of the century, globalization has given a new meaning to the development of transport infrastructure in Uzbekistan. The so-called Asian Tigers and the ‘industrial smithy’ of China turned into the drivers of industry, supplying various products to every corner of the globe. A part of the huge cargo traffic fell on our country, making it an essential link of global trade. It was the time when Uzbekistan set the advancing development of infrastructure as its milestone principle. It is widely thought in the expert community that common rules can not always be applicable when it comes to boosting the transport infrastructure. The demand creates supply in the industry, while it is quite opposite in the transport infrastructure – preventive and thoughtful evolution of infrastructure, introduction of advanced technologies and quality service predetermines the further inflow of freight and boost in passenger traffic, which in turn allows for multiple payback of expenes and development of peripheries.
The program of accelerated development of infrastructure, transport and communications construction by 2015, worth more than $6.9 billion, has become both literally and figuratively a roadmap of the new stage of progress in domestic communications. It envisages implementation of 85 investment projects. They were not merely about construction and reconstruction of roads and railways, railway stations, airports, and the related infrastructure. They were built on energy-saving and resource-saving technologies to ensure economical use of raw materials, and therefore reduce construction costs and increase the life expectancy of facilities.
Today, the nation’s transport system is driven by over 5,300 companies and enterprises of different forms of ownership. About 12% of GDP accounts for the transport sector. Uzbekistan has all the modern transportation means, except sea. The major part of cargo is carried by rail, road and pipeline transport, and passenger traffic by road, air and rail. Over the last five years alone, the volume of shipping has increased by 45%, and the passenger, cargo and transit traffic has increased by 24%, 38% and 52%, respectively.
BETTER TO SEE ONCE
Rapid development of the national transport infrastructure is unimaginable without foreign expertise, technologies and equipment. Therefore, Uzbekistan has been holding exclusive specific exhibition, TransUzbekistan, for the last eleven years. Every year the exposition demonstrates new products by the world’s flagships of logistics, a wide range of loading, transport, storage and warehousing services, and it highlights the current trends in transport system in Uzbekistan and worldwide.
This year’s exhibition has brought together an ‘unusually advantageous team’, that is, over 50 participants who specialize in passenger and freight transportation, including operators, ports, terminals, cargo processing centers, and economic zones. Every expert the UT reporters managed to talk with during TransUzbekistan would mention the enormous capacities of Uzbekistan in international transportation. However, it is vital that the potential be cashed in to the fullest extent possible. Uzbekistan is a dynamically advancing country, where the even growth of the economy requires priority attention to the improvement of transport and communications complex. The emphasis is reflected in the integration projects on integration in international transport communications, development of effective international routes for export and transit of goods, modernization of the transportation complex and enhancement of transit capacities. It is the case with foreign companies that may offer their unique technological solutions and equipment through exhibitions of this kind.
At this year’s event, expositions demonstrating railway intelligent control systems, navigation, monitoring, fuel control and other software solutions have reasonably drew attention of the majority of specialists. Today, the transport industry needs new ways of arranging the cargo and passenger traffic. This is primarily due to the ever increasing passenger and cargo shipping around the world, so the construction of new routes is deemed .as long and costly process. Therefore, carriers are trying to seek for cheaper and quick-impact ways to optimize their performance. Software products are regarded as the most preferred option.
Suffice it to cite an undemanding example: the introduction of smart control systems in the largest airports in Europe has significantly reduced the processing time of cargo and passenger traffic. Uzbekistan keeps abreast of the trends. There is a range of ongoing promising pilot projects, intended to be extended over to the entire country. Tashkent is introducing a computerized traffic control system, and Uzbekistan Railways has embarked on the development of an independent automated database, taking into account the freight rolling stock plying in internal communication. It will also maintain the record of technical condition of cars, the terms of inspections and operation.
Establishment of the Asian Bank of Infrastructural Investments was another interesting initiative, which was enthusiastically discussed on the sidelines. Empowered by a memorandum signed by representatives of 21 countries, including Uzbekistan, the new credit institution will finance the construction of roads, railways, power stations and telecommunications networks in Asia, which, according to experts, are necessary to sustain the regional economy. It is expected to be launched by the end of next year. According to experts, by 2020 the emerging markets in Asia will need about $8 trillion of infrastructural investments to ensure the progressive development of their economy.
Experts also expounded upon the plans of Central Asian states to establish an international transportation corridor Uzbekistan-Turkmenistan-Caspian Sea-South Caucasus with access to the Black Sea ports of Georgia, Turkey, Romania and other nations, as well as the corridor route Uzbekistan-Turkmenistan-Iran-Oman-Qatar.
According to the participants of the exhibition, the efforts of Uzbekistan Airways on building its own cargo fleet and turning the Navoi Airport into a key player in the Asian air freight market help promote the development of regional transportation. The first domestic reequipped cargo Boeing has recently arrived in Tashkent from Singapore, and the second one is expected in December. They should increase the company’s capacities and the flow of goods. In the first nine months of the current year, Uzbekistan Airways has shipped 32 thousand tons of cargo with a 7.1% increase YOY. At the same time, the cargo flow on far abroad routes has grown by 17.6% and by 22.4% in the CIS countries.
(Source: “Uzbekistan Today” newspaper)
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