OpenAI Registers as Taxpayer in Uzbekistan
U.S.-based artificial intelligence company OpenAI has officially registered as a taxpayer in Uzbekistan. According to the State Tax Committee, OpenAI was added to the country's special platform for foreign electronic service providers on April 8, becoming the 67th international internet company to register in Uzbekistan. OpenAI is best known for developing ChatGPT, the AI chatbot that gained rapid global popularity following its launch in November 2022. Within five days, the platform surpassed one million users. In March 2023, OpenAI released GPT-4, a more advanced version of the model capable of understanding both text and images. Since November 2023, ChatGPT has been accessible to users in Uzbekistan. The move comes amid heightened efforts by Uzbek authorities to enforce tax compliance among foreign digital platforms operating in the country. On March 4, the National Agency for Perspective Projects and the State Tax Committee issued a joint warning to Chinese e-commerce platform Temu, which had failed to register as a taxpayer. As a result, access to Temu has been blocked in Uzbekistan since March 20. Although Temu is legally registered in Uzbekistan, the Tax Committee reported on March 18 that the platform still owes 46 billion UZS (approximately $3.5 million) in unpaid taxes. First Deputy Chairman of the Tax Committee Mubin Mirzayev stated that Temu must settle its debt before it can resume operations in the country. According to analyst Timurmalik Elmuradov, Temu faces two options: either open a local branch or register as a value-added tax (VAT) payer. The platform’s monthly sales in Uzbekistan are estimated at $8-9 million. Other foreign platforms have also come under scrutiny. Russian online retailer Wildberries, which initially received a similar warning, has since paid 52 billion UZS (about $4 million) in taxes, according to Mirzayev. The government says it is committed to ensuring that all e-commerce companies operating in Uzbekistan comply with local tax regulations.