Uzbekistan has decided to exclude the increase in the number of inspections from the key performance indicators (KPIs) of supervisory bodies. This decision was made following intervention by the Ombudsman for Business Affairs, who warned that such targets could intensify administrative pressure on entrepreneurs.
Sadullo Salakhov, press secretary of the Presidential Commissioner for the Protection of the Rights and Legal Interests of Entrepreneurship Subjects, presented the agency's work results for the period from January to September 2026. In the first nine months of the year, 7,498 legislative violations were recorded during inspections of business entities. Of these, 938 inspections were deemed illegal, and another 6,560 related to violations of established inspection procedures. Administrative measures were applied to each identified case.
Since August 1st, all interactions between regulatory bodies and entrepreneurs have been subject to mandatory record-keeping. Since this requirement was introduced, 4,254 such interactions have been registered across the country. However, the agency discovered instances where actual inspections were conducted under the guise of dialogue with businesses, or where coercive measures were applied without proper registration. Following the intervention of the Ombudsman for Business Affairs, the relevant fines were canceled, and the involved officials faced administrative liability.
An analysis of the supervisory bodies' performance evaluation system showed that some agencies had included goals to increase the number of inspections in their KPIs. The Ombudsman for Business Affairs considered that such indicators create an incentive to conduct more inspections, thereby increasing the risk of unjustified pressure on entrepreneurs. After the agency's intervention, this criterion was removed from the KPIs.
During the reporting period, the Presidential Commissioner received 10,743 appeals and reviewed 10,031 of them. A positive decision was reached in 49% of the reviewed cases. One of the agency's achievements was the cessation of the practice of charging entry fees to markets in Dehkan and trading on their territory in Namangan region. The Ombudsman for Business Affairs achieved this jointly with the regional administration, freeing up over 7,000 entrepreneurs operating in 38 markets from unjustified expenses.
The agency also identified errors in the calculation of subsidies for private kindergartens. After correcting these errors, monthly additional compensation totaling 130.8 million sums was organized for 2,240 children. Work with entrepreneurs' appeals also revealed problems requiring changes in the regulatory framework. The Ombudsman for Business Affairs prepared 12 draft normative legal acts and conducted legal expertise on over 800 draft documents affecting business interests.
The agency sent more than half of the reviewed drafts to developers with proposals to revise provisions that could negatively affect business activity. Among the agency's proposals is the abolition of the triple coefficient applied to electricity bills for mandatory lighting, signage, and billboards; instead, applying a standard tariff is proposed. Another initiative provides entrepreneurs with at least 10 working days to rectify violations and compensate for damages before certain financial sanctions are applied; if all requirements are met within the specified period, sanctions are not applied.
Furthermore, the Ombudsman for Business Affairs proposed introducing an electronic process for issuing cadastral passports for territories with high technological risks. This project involves reducing bureaucratic procedures and establishing clear deadlines for service provision. The document was submitted for public discussion on the SOVAZ portal.
