DUSHANBE, April 6, 2009, Asia-Plus  -- The term of declaration by Tajik officials of their incomes to the Tax Committee expired on April 1.

Speaking in an interview with Asia-Plus, Qurbonali Azizov, the head of the department for qualification requirements for the system of remuneration of labor of public servants within the public service directorate, President’s Executive Office, said they monitored the income tax declaration process and at their request, all institutions submitted the income tax declaration reports to them by April 20.

“According to our data, only 400 of more than 400,000 people did not declare their income assets to the Tax Committee last year,” Azizov said.

We will recall that member of the Majlisi Namoyandagon (Tajikistan’s lower chamber of parliament) Committee on International Affairs, Public Associations and Information, Yusufjon Ahmadov, told Asia-Plus on March 20 that he suggested that Tajik officials should publicly declare their income and assets.  According to him, he suggested that at a March 16 parliamentary hearings with participation of Director of the Agency for State Financial Control and Combating Corruption Sherkhon Salimzoda and the majority of parliamentarians supported the proposal.

“I think the anticorruption agency should control the process of declaration of incomes, in particular by government officials,” MP said, noting that disclosure of incomes is one of main ways to fight corruption in the country.  Moreover, information about income and assets of government officials should be available to the whole society, Ahmadov said.