In his opinion, such processes require open discussion.
“When implementing new effective control mechanisms, businesses often experience a certain protest. Usually, they are not in a hurry to support such initiatives,” he noted.
Akmatov also emphasized that some concerns have objective reasons, but there are also unfounded claims.
“Undoubtedly, there are real concerns. But there are also some that are not entirely justified, particularly those related to the unwillingness of some market participants to operate with full transparency,” he added.
He reminded that in 2023, an excise stamp was introduced for beer in Kyrgyzstan. At that time, local producers opposed this initiative, claiming that labeling was unnecessary. However, two years after its implementation, a threefold increase in indicators in this sector was observed.
According to Akmatov, a similar situation occurred with the introduction of labeling for sugary drinks. Producers and importers also expressed dissatisfaction, considering this measure excessive, but subsequently, annual growth in legal turnover and tax revenues was recorded.
He added that similar processes are currently being observed in the market for petroleum products, where legal sales volumes are increasing, and budget revenues are growing.
