New presidential decree: Triple land tax on unused farmland

Owners of land that is left unattended or not fully cultivated will now face a threefold increase in land tax for a year. This measure is outlined in a decree signed by President Shavkat Mirziyoyev on February 14, titled “On Additional Measures to Introduce a Modern Organizational System and Provide Financial Support to the Activities of Homestead Landowners and Peasant Farms.”

According to the decree, quarterly inspections will be conducted by local government assistants to assess the effective use of household plots and leased land. If land is found to be uncultivated or neglected, the following measures will be implemented:

• No Access to Preferential Loans: Landowners will be ineligible for state-backed financial support.
• Suspension of Social Assistance: Citizens registered in the Unified Register of Social Protection may have financial aid or child benefits temporarily halted.
• Higher Land Tax: The land tax will be applied at a threefold higher rate.

However, if the land is later utilized effectively—such as by planting crops—these restrictions will be lifted, and tax rates will return to normal under the "Neighborhood Seven" initiative.

It is worth noting that on January 30, during a government meeting on increasing the profitability of homestead and leased arable land, President Mirziyoyev announced that 400 billion soums would be allocated from the Agricultural Fund in 2024 to support potato cultivation.