Business in Uzbekistan calls for softer sanitary fines

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — Business representatives in Uzbekistan have proposed revising the approach to administrative fines imposed by the Committee for Sanitary and Epidemiological Wellbeing and Public Health. Entrepreneurs argue that current sanctions are not always proportionate to the nature of the violations, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Uzbekistan reported.

In particular, it is noted that under Article 53 of the Code of Administrative Liability, a fixed fine is applied to officials for violations of sanitary rules. According to the business community, this approach does not take into account the severity and consequences of the violation.

As an example, cases are cited in which technical and formal shortcomings, such as the absence of an expiration date on a disinfectant product, may result in a fine of 15 base calculation units. Businesses say such measures create an excessive financial burden, especially for small and medium-sized enterprises.

In this regard, it is proposed to introduce a system of differentiated administrative responsibility. This would involve creating a more flexible mechanism in which the size of the fine depends on the scale of the violation and its level of public risk.

According to the initiators, such an approach would improve the fairness of regulation and reduce administrative pressure on businesses.