Почему в Узбекистане цены как в Европе? Экономист Хошимов о пошлинах и инфляции

Why are phones more expensive in Uzbekistan than in Europe? Why did the government ban the purchase of cigarettes with cash? And why is the "samsa index" growing faster than official inflation? Our guest is Bekzod Khoshimov, economist, professor at NYU Abu Dhabi, and host of the Uzbekonomics podcast. We explore how duties, IMEI, and hidden taxes make life in Uzbekistan more expensive than in Europe, while wages are lower. In this episode: — Why the government imposes duties on almost everything — How the duty multiplier works and why bread is more expensive because of sugar — What is the IMEI really: a 30% tax introduced without parliament's knowledge — The war in Iran, Bandar Abbas, and meat prices in Tashkent — Poland was poorer than Uzbekistan in 1991. What did they do differently? — Hayat for 200 million: a million dollars per job — Is it possible to catch up with Kazakhstan and why "regional leadership" is a false goal — "The main thing is not to believe it ourselves" ────────── Bekzod Khoshimov — economist, professor at NYU Abu Dhabi Uzbekonomics Podcast:    / @uzbekonomics   ────────── Subscribe to SEREDIN's channel: Telegram: https://t.me/dmitriseredin Instagram: instagram.com/deema_seredin ─────────── Recording: April 30, 2026 #BekzodKhoshimov #Uzbekistan #economy #SEREDIN #podcast #inflation #IMEI #duties #Tashkent #CentralAsia #Uzbekonomics 00:00 — Key quotes of the episode 00:42 — Why they banned buying cigarettes with cash 04:43 — Why "reducing cash" is a strange government goal 08:10 — Call to subscribe to the channel 11:55 — IMEI: a 30% tax that was introduced without parliament's consent 15:25 — "They'd make chocolates sour if they could" 18:21 — Why prices in Uzbekistan are like in Europe, but salaries are so low No 21:39 — The War in Iran and Meat Prices in Tashkent 35:13 — Why Foreigners Can't Move and Live Here 43:25 — What Needs to Be Done to Bring More People and Money 49:38 — Hayat for 200 Million: A Million Dollars for One Place 01:04:15 — The Samsa Index: How Official Inflation Is Calculated 01:07:38 — "I Want to Live in Uzbekistan," According to Kazakh Bloggers 01:20:00 — Blitz: Lies in Statistics, Corruption, and an Undervalued Resource