Uzbek Customs in brief Исполнитель

Uzbek Customs in brief

Customs on the territory of Uzbekistan was functioning already in the Great Silk Road times at trade caravans routes. Prior to obtaining Independence there were only two Customs located at the border with Afghanistan and International Tashkent Airport. They were under Moscow management. In 1991 after declaring Independence of Uzbekistan National Customs Service was established. In January 1994 after reorganization it was included into the State Tax Committee as Central Customs Administration. In July 1997 the Central Customs Administration was transformed into State Customs Committee with direct subordination to the Cabinet of Ministers. At the end of August 1997 the Parliament adopted the Customs Code and Customs Tariff Law of the Republic of Uzbekistan.

Today Uzbek Customs employs over 3 thousand officers in 233 locations around Uzbekistan, including Central Customs Administration, international airports, border crossings, International mail post, inland Customs.

Structure of the State Customs Committee comprises the Central Customs Administration and 14 District Customs, Tashkent International Airport Customs and local Customs offices and checking points.

The Head of the Committee is Chairman, who has the First Deputy Chairman and three Deputy Chairmen.

The principal functions of the Customs Service involve protection of society, economic interests of the Republic and the revenue. This includes the provision of an effective border control infrastructure to ensure people, goods, means of transport entering and departing the country comply with the legislation of Uzbekistan. It also involves the collection of duties and taxes on imported and exported goods, as well as on certain locally produced such as alcohol and tobacco.

Using previous experience the Customs Service continues developing in accordance with International standards and norms. In 1998 new Customs Code, the Law on the Customs tariff and the Republic of Uzbekistan and the Law on Customs Service entered into force.

Republic of Uzbekistan is a member of 95 International Conventions, 14 of them relating to Customs matter. In 1999 Uzbekistan became a member of the International Convention on the Harmonized Commodity Description and Coding System. It came into force for Uzbekistan since 01.01.2000.

Specialists for Customs laboratories are trained at the Central Customs Laboratory, which was set up and equipped with the assistance of KES in the frame of TACIS Program. The Laboratory maintains close contracts with the WCO’s Directorate on Nomenclature and Classification with assists it in classification matter and further development.

At the National Detector Dog Training Center dog handlers are trained. In future it is intended to use these training facilities on the regional level for the Customs Service of the Central Asian Republics.

During years of Independence active measures have been taken to determine direction of renewal and ensure progressive development of the State.

Main principals of legislative, economic and organizational regulation of Customs matter were also determined during that time. Uzbek Customs had been developing in the direction of harmonization and unification with the approved international standards and practices. This process is an essential element of economic reforms in the external activities of the State; it assists Uzbekistan’s integration into the world economic community.

Membership of Uzbekistan in International Conventions and arrangements requires working out principles of Customs control over the export of such specific goods as arms, armament, ammunition, nuclear and toxic materials, illicit narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances, endangered species of wild flora and fauna, intellectual property rights.

Answer the questions:

1. When was the National Customs Service established?
2. When was it included into the State Tax Committee as Central Customs Administration?
3. When was the Central Customs Administration transformed into the State Customs Committee?
4. When were the Customs Code and the Customs Tariff Law adopted?
5. What is the structure of the Uzbek Customs Committee?
6. What are the functions of Customs Service?

Match the words from the text with the meanings in the right hand column.

Vocabulary