The key facts

  • Nearly 800,000 citizens received recalculations of unjustified debts totaling about 22 billion sums.
  • Charges were applied for services not actually provided during residents' absence, including household waste removal.
  • The Committee proposed integrating billing systems with migration databases and implementing monthly recalculations for subscribers abroad.

Mass Recalculation of Utility Debts

In Uzbekistan, nearly 800,000 citizens had their unjustified utility debts recalculated, totaling approximately 22 billion sums. This was reported by the press service of the Committee for Competition Development. The Committee, together with relevant organizations, examined cases where charges were applied for certain utility services at the permanent residence of citizens who were temporarily residing elsewhere or abroad.

What the Inspection Revealed

According to the Committee, information regarding citizens temporarily residing, working, or studying abroad, or those seeking employment, did not always correspond to reality. Additionally, data on new subscribers were not entered into the systems. In particular, nearly 800,000 citizens were charged for household waste removal, even though the service was not actually provided during their temporary absence from their primary residence. It was also established that approximately 100 people did not reside in the corresponding households during a specific period, while water meters were not installed there.

Recalculation Procedure and Committee Proposals

As a result, servicing organizations restored the rights of nearly 800,000 citizens and recalculated their unjustified debts in their favor. According to the current procedure, if a change in the number of residents is confirmed by documents, the recalculation is made from the date of change; in the absence of confirming documents, it covers the previous three months. The Committee proposed integrating the billing systems of utility services with migration registration databases, as well as introducing monthly recalculations for subscribers abroad for more than one month and persons living with them until their return.

Previous Inspections

Previously, during inspections by the Committee, it was found that in the gas, electricity, and water supply sectors, certain amounts were collected illegally. In particular, in Samarkand, a citizen was charged and subsequently had an unjustified gas debt of 1.3 million sums recalculated.