At the government session chaired by the Prime Minister of the Republic of Kazakhstan Alikhan Smailov, measures to fulfill the instructions of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev given at the expanded meeting of the Government on Feb. 8, 2022, were considered.

“The Head of State Kassym-Jomart Tokayev outlined the key priorities for the country's socio-economic development for the current year. One of the main tasks of the Government is to increase the income of the population and create new jobs,” Smailov said.

As part of the execution of the order of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan on tariff plans, it is instructed to conduct an analysis of tariffs and commissions charged by monopoly operators and intermediaries within a month, to propose solutions for their revision or cancellation.

The Prime Minister noted that as part of the implementation of the instructions of the Head of State, proposals were developed to revise the rates of the tax on the extraction of minerals in the mining sector, excises for oil product producers, benefits on dividends for subsoil users and the transfer pricing procedure.

Particular attention was paid to the issue of conducting spring field work and providing agricultural producers with cheaper diesel fuel, seeds, fertilizers and pesticides.

Despite the volume of state funding and state support measures provided, the contribution of the Special Economic Zones to the country's economy remains at a low level.

“Management companies are working very poorly. Potential investors are constantly faced with all sorts of obstacles — this includes joining the Free Economic Zones, and the lack of the necessary infrastructure, and bureaucracy on the part of management companies," said Alikhan Smailov, instructing to conduct an audit and develop real proposals by March 1.

In order to increase the production of commercial and liquefied gas, as well as to develop incentives for investors in the oil and gas sector, the Head of Government instructed to submit a package of relevant legislative amendments to the Government within a month.

“The issue of increasing the resource base is urgent. The main priority is the domestic market, including the gasification of enterprises,” the Prime Minister said during the meeting.

At the same time, the Head of the Cabinet of Ministers instructed to develop a single and optimal version of the public-private partnership project for the construction of hospitals, to quickly work out the issues of centralized procurement of medical equipment based on SK-Pharmacy, incl. direct purchase and from manufacturers with the provision of service for the entire period of operation.

“For the sake of transparency, automation of this process is necessary,” the Prime Minister of the Republic of Kazakhstan emphasized.

“In the current conditions, we must mobilize as much as possible and show real results. The main task for us is to increase the income of our citizens and improve the quality of life of the population. We must focus on the development of a competitive and diversified economy,” summed up Smailov.