DUSHANBE, January 21, 2011, Asia-Plus  -- Tax debts of Barqi Tojik power holding increased by 139 million somoni in a year to January 1, 2011, reaching 307.6 million somoni, the head of the Tax Committee under the Government of Tajikistan, Nusratullo Davlatov, announced at a news conference in Dushanbe today.

According to him, the power holding is continuing to remain one of the most incorrigible tax defaulters in the country.

“The situation improved last year,” said Davlatov, “In 2010, Barqi Tojik paid 90 million somoni in taxes, while in the previous years, it had been transferring not more than 17-18 million somoni to the tax bodies.”

Since Barqi Tojik is monopolist in the power distribution market and one of the strategic companies in the country, the Tax Committee abstains from filing lawsuits against it over tax nonpayment, the Tajik chief tax officer added.

Barqi Tojik is the state-owned utility responsible for generation, transmission, and distribution of electricity in Tajikistan.