Kyrgyz President Warns Of 'External Management' Unless Vendors Stop Protests

Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov said on December 6 that "external management" for marketplaces will be applied unless vendors stop protests against the introduction of a new taxation system that will oblige them to use electronic cash registers and pay tax on each item sold. He did not specify what external management would entail. The day before, Japarov announced that the new taxation system will be introduced not on January 1, 2024, as was initially planned, but on July 1. Thousands of vendors at marketplaces across Kyrgyzstan have rallied for days demanding the current system -- based on a flat annual sum -- be kept in place. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service, click here.