BAKU, Azerbaijan, August 6. Azerbaijan refunded a total of 191.6 million manats ($112.7 million) from the state budget to individuals and legal entities in the January-July period of 2026, the Finance Ministry said.
The ministry said the refunds included value-added tax (VAT) paid by individuals on purchases in retail trade and public catering, as well as on cultural services such as theatres, cinemas, museums and concerts, medical services, and hotel services in territories Azerbaijan regained control of.
The refunds also covered VAT paid by foreign citizens on goods produced in Azerbaijan and purchased for non-commercial purposes.
In addition, the government refunded part of the VAT paid on residential and non-residential properties purchased through non-cash payments from property developers, as well as overpaid taxes, state duties, interest amounts and financial penalties.
Azerbaijan's non-oil and gas sector accounted for 71.5% of GDP, with GDP from the sector totaling 92.3 billion manats ($54.3 billion), Finance Minister Sahil Babayev said.
Speaking during a parliamentary debate on a draft law approving the execution of the 2025 state budget, Babayev said the non-oil and gas sector grew by 2.7% in real terms year-on-year, reflecting the impact of reforms implemented in recent years.
He said non-oil revenues accounted for 55.2% of the consolidated budget, while non-oil tax revenues represented 25%.
According to the minister, the share of non-oil revenues in total state budget revenues increased to 52% from 43.3% over the past five years. The government expects this figure to reach 57.4% in the 2026 state budget.
"The trend in these indicators shows that developing the non-oil sector and reducing dependence on oil revenues remain among the government's key priorities," Babayev said.
He added that the government continues to implement measures aimed at increasing and diversifying non-oil revenue sources, with the issue remaining under government oversight.
