In a report released at a news conference in Dushanbe, the deputy head of the Customs Service, Abdurahmon Karimzoda, revealed on January 17 that Tajikistan’s national budget last year received 3.8 billion somoni from customs payments, which was 9.0 percent or 407 million somoni (equivalent to about 52 million U.S. dollars) less than it was originally planned. 

The arrears have resulted from decreasing imports, Tajik customs official noted.  

According to the statistic data from the Customs Service, imports of goods into the country last year amounted to little more than 3 billion U.S. dollars, which was 11.8 percent of 404 million U.S> dollars fewer than in 2015.  

Besides, seasonal activity of the crossing Kulma on the Tajik-Chinese border in the Gorno Badakhshan Autonomous Region (GBAO) has also affected the customs duty collection, Karimzoda said.

He also cited goods smuggling, problems with transit of goods across Afghan territory and heavy rail transit tariffs imposed by Uzbek authorities as negative factors affecting the customs duty collection.