ASTANA, Kazakhstan, March 13. A meeting managed by the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Economy Serik Zhumangarin was held at the Government of Kazakhstan to review the progress of digitizing the tax and customs administration systems, Trend reports, citing the Ministry of National Economy of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
In his presentation, the Vice Minister of Finance Asset Turysov noted that the integration of the Smart Data Finance tax information system and Keden with the information systems of six government agencies for the transfer of necessary data to the fiscal authorities' information systems is ongoing. In order to complete all testing and other necessary procedures for the introduction of the new tax systems before the new Tax Code comes into effect, all integration work must be completed as soon as possible.
"The launch of the Smart Data Finance information system into industrial operations will lay the foundation for the start of the VAT payment system 'e-Tamga.' This system is designed for VAT payments between buyers and suppliers, as well as for settlements with the budget. All VAT payments in the system will be made solely based on electronic invoices, which will eliminate the possibility of VAT evasion. Thanks to this system, VAT refunds will be processed within 15 days instead of the current 150 days. It will also protect honest businesses from dishonest, high-risk companies," reported the ministry.
Moreover, it was stated that under the framework of the Integrated Tax Administration System (ITAS), the Ministry of Finance will create a proactive service model for taxpayer support. The personal account in ITAS will allow taxpayers to receive services and submit reports remotely, fill out declarations step by step, with prompts and data verification. The system ensures two-way communication: taxpayers will be able to respond to notifications from the state revenue authorities and upload documents without visiting the tax office.
A virtual tax assistant will deliver comprehensive tax assistance for enterprises from inception to conclusion, aid each taxpayer in pre-populating their declarations, advise on the optimal tax regime, and alert them to critical declaration submission timelines and tax remittance due dates.
During the meeting, it was brought to light that to boost consumer awareness of their rights concerning the need for fiscal receipts with every purchase, the Ministry of Finance is gearing up to bring back the Salyq cashback project this spring.
Last year, the Salyq cashback pilot program was tested in Semei and the Akkol district of Kazakhstan, allowing buyers to receive 2 percent of the purchase amount when a fiscal receipt was issued. Over the course of the 5-month pilot project, the number of receipts increased by 222 percent, and the total value of goods and services increased by 132 percent. A total of 75 million tenge in cashback was issued. As reported by Asset Turysov, this project is planned to resume on March 15, 2025, expanding its geography to include Ust-Kamenogorsk (Eastern Kazakhstan region), Zhetikarinsky district (Kostanay region), and Zhaksynsky district (Akmola region).
