Moratorium on inspections by government agencies until 2029

A moratorium on checks for entrepreneurs is being introduced in Tajikistan until 2029.

The President of Tajikistan, Emomali Rahmon, has instructed to extend the moratorium on checks of small and medium-sized enterprises until January 1, 2029. However, checks by tax authorities are not covered by the moratorium.

President Rahmon announced this decision on October 14 during a conversation with entrepreneurs and investors in Dushanbe. According to him, the goal of extending the moratorium is to prevent unjustified and repeated checks, as well as to create favorable conditions for the activities of entrepreneurs.

He also emphasized that checks, requests for additional documents, and summons of entrepreneurs to government bodies should only be carried out in cases provided for by law and with clear legal grounds.

The President also stated that the legislation of Tajikistan provides for more than 240 types of benefits and guarantees for entrepreneurs and investors, including over 110 tax and customs benefits. However, it is unclear how effectively these guarantees and benefits are implemented in practice.

This is not the first time that the authorities of Tajikistan have introduced a moratorium on checks for entrepreneurs. Earlier, by a presidential decree dated January 10, 2025, a moratorium on all types of checks of entrepreneurial activities was introduced until January 1, 2027. However, many entrepreneurs continued to complain about the interference of government bodies in their activities.

In a conversation with entrepreneurs, Rahmon also stated that there are 395,000 entrepreneurial entities operating in Tajikistan. According to him, this figure is 20,000 higher compared to the same period last year. The President stated that the government aims to reach 500,000 entrepreneurial entities by 2030.

However, according to data from the Asia-Plus publication, published in February 2024, 21,500 entrepreneurs ceased their business activities in 2023, of which 20,500 were individual entrepreneurs and 982 were legal entities. During the same period, 33,100 new entrepreneurs were registered.

According to data from the Agency for Statistics under the President of Tajikistan, 18,818 entities ceased their activities in the first nine months of 2025. Of these, 18,041 were individual entrepreneurs, and 777 were legal entities.

Compared to the same period in 2024, when 15,188 entities were liquidated, this figure increased by approximately 24% in the first nine months of 2025.

Some entrepreneurs note that the main reasons for the cessation of activities among small business representatives are the lack of benefits, excessive checks by government bodies, huge fines, and several types of taxes.

The statistics agency did not specify the reason for the liquidation of thousands of entrepreneurs’ activities. However, the entrepreneurs themselves cite the lack of benefits, numerous inspections, and fines as the main factors.

At the same time, it is evident that, unlike small entrepreneurs, the authorities, particularly President Emomali Rahmon, provide certain benefits to large entrepreneurs close to the president himself.

According to a survey of companies conducted by the World Bank in 2024 with the participation of 364 enterprises, 29.4% of respondents identified tax regulations as the main obstacle to their activities, 14.8% cited lack of access to financing. 12.6% of enterprises named electricity supply as one of the main obstacles, while 5.5% pointed to competition from unofficial entrepreneurs. Corruption was identified as the main reason by 4.1% of respondents.

These results pertain only to the companies that participated in the survey and do not cover all entrepreneurs in the country. Nevertheless, the survey data indicate that the problems of the private sector are not limited to inspections by government bodies. It is unclear how the introduced moratoriums will help entrepreneurs and how they will be applied in practice.

At the same time, entrepreneurs face other problems, including the monopolization of certain profitable sectors, unequal competition, and the influence of familial and personal connections in the distribution of economic benefits and opportunities. Critics note that these factors create real obstacles for independent entrepreneurs and limit the development of healthy competition.