creating FEZs in 2004, and the country has opened four – two in 2008 in Sughd and Panj, and two in 2009 in Dangara and Ishkashim.
Bakhrom Urakbayev, an economist specialising in FEZs, said FEZ businesses pay two of Tajikistan’s 15 main taxes: the 25% tax (for funding social welfare benefits) and the 13% individual income tax. Businesses pay an annual fee of US $1 (4.7 TJS) per sq. metre for a site in the FEZ, a flat fee of US $5,000 (23,600 TJS) to register for 15 years, and no customs duties.
“Unlike many countries in the region, Tajikistan has created very comfortable conditions, and therefore, we have witnessed an increased pace of development over the last year,” Urakbayev said. “Nevertheless, the FEZs still need investor and government help. If we are going to make an effort to develop FEZs, then this will first and foremost be to create new jobs in the (non-capital) regions and the emergence of local production.”
Only two FEZs are currently active: Sughd, with 14 entities, and Panj, with two, according to the Economic Development Ministry. The Dangara and Ishkashim FEZs are still in development. The active FEZs have already produced more than US $5m (23.6m TJS) in goods.
“Over the past year and a half, the number of jobs in the two FEZs has reached 110 and (US) $1.7m (8m TJS) of the predicted (US) $48m (226.4m TJS) has already been invested in Sughd,” Urakbayev said.
![An employee operates a machine that manufactures polyethylene pipes at Star Plast, a Tajik-Cypriot joint enterprise in the Sughd Free Economic Zone in Sughd Oblast July 27. [Maks Maksudov]](http://centralasiaonline.com/shared/images/2011/08/02/tjfez-218_172.jpg)
An employee operates a machine that manufactures polyethylene pipes at Star Plast, a Tajik-Cypriot joint enterprise in the Sughd Free Economic Zone in Sughd Oblast July 27. [Maks Maksudov]
![An employee operates a machine that manufactures polyethylene pipes at Star Plast, a Tajik-Cypriot joint enterprise in the Sughd Free Economic Zone in Sughd Oblast July 27. [Maks Maksudov]](http://centralasiaonline.com/shared/images/2011/08/02/tjfez.jpg)
“Unlike many countries in the region, Tajikistan has created very comfortable conditions, and therefore, we have witnessed an increased pace of development over the last year,” Urakbayev said. “Nevertheless, the FEZs still need investor and government help. If we are going to make an effort to develop FEZs, then this will first and foremost be to create new jobs in the (non-capital) regions and the emergence of local production.”
Only two FEZs are currently active: Sughd, with 14 entities, and Panj, with two, according to the Economic Development Ministry. The Dangara and Ishkashim FEZs are still in development. The active FEZs have already produced more than US $5m (23.6m TJS) in goods.
“Over the past year and a half, the number of jobs in the two FEZs has reached 110 and (US) $1.7m (8m TJS) of the predicted (US) $48m (226.4m TJS) has already been invested in Sughd,” Urakbayev said.
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