Deputies Challenge Legality of 4% Revenue Fee for Private Universities
Deputies Express Concerns Over Newly Introduced Fee on Private Universities
Deputies in Uzbekistan have raised concerns over the legality and fairness of a newly introduced 4% fee on private universities’ contract revenues. They are questioning the potential impact of this fee on the education sector and its compliance with the law.
Dilmurod Artykov, a Deputy of the Legislative Chamber of the Oliy Majlis, has taken action by sending an official request regarding the introduction of this fee for non-governmental higher educational institutions. The decision to implement the fee was made by the Republican Council for Higher Education on November 29. This fee amounts to 4% of the remaining balance from the total cost of contracts for paid education concluded by private universities by the end of the fiscal year.
University leaders proposed this fee as a way to support educational policy, protect the interests of universities and their students, and ensure healthy competition in the educational market. However, economist Yuliy Yusupov criticized this initiative, calling the imposition of the fee “retroactively” and “unthinkable.”
UzLiDeP has also expressed opposition to the fee, emphasizing that government agencies should not have the right to impose fees on entrepreneurs without legal grounds. They highlighted the potential negative impact of such actions on reforms aimed at attracting foreign investment in the educational sector.
Deputy Dilmurod Artykov has requested a reasoned explanation regarding the revision of the protocol from the Minister of Higher Education, Science, and Innovation, Kongratbay Sharipov, and the Prosecutor General, Nigmatilla Yuldashev. Former deputy Rasul Kusherbaev also sent a request to the head of the Department for Social Development in the Presidential Administration, questioning the powers of the council that approved this fee.
The council in question was established by a Cabinet of Ministers decree in 2019 and its composition was approved by the government at the time of the November 29 meeting. The council’s membership has been reduced from 17 to 11 people, according to the meeting minutes.
Deputies and other stakeholders are calling for transparency and adherence to the law in this matter to ensure fairness and legality in the educational sector.
