Uzbekistan plans to lift the recently introduced ban on cash payments for alcohol in cafes, restaurants, and hotels. This was announced on April 21 during an open dialogue with entrepreneurs from the food service industry.
One meeting participant pointed out that since the rule requiring alcohol sales to be exclusively cashless was implemented, serving tourists has become significantly more difficult.
In response, the Chairman of the Tax Committee, Farrukh Pulatov, stated that a solution to this issue would be found shortly.
"This is our fault—a result of our oversight. We are working on it and will provide a solution in the coming days. We will fix it," he said.
According to Pulatov, the Tax Committee has already drafted a document to address the problem. The proposal would allow restaurants and hotels to accept both cash and cashless payments for alcohol. The draft is currently being coordinated with relevant government agencies.
Davron Vakhabov, Chairman of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, also noted that the current regulations create serious hurdles for travelers.
"If a foreign tourist wants to buy spirits at a hotel with cash, we have to tell them, 'Go open a local Uzcard or Humo card immediately.' In the end, a tourist who just wanted a drink loses interest entirely and heads back home on a plane," Vakhabov remarked.
As a reminder, since April 1, cash payments have been prohibited for certain goods and services, including alcohol, tobacco products, transactions exceeding 25 million soums, and purchases at gas stations. In these cases, the "cash" button on point-of-sale systems is disabled.
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