At the Government session chaired by Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov, the unified small business support program “Isker aimaq” was reviewed and approved. Reports were delivered by Deputy Prime Minister – Minister of National Economy Serik Zhumangarin, Minister of Finance Madi Takiyev, as well as representatives of the Atameken National Chamber of Entrepreneurs and the Union of Accountants.

More than 2.2 million small business entities operate in Kazakhstan, employing about 4 million people.

The Prime Minister emphasized that the President attaches special importance to the development of entrepreneurship, as it is an important source of income for the population.

“Developing strong and competitive entrepreneurship is the main factor of sustainable economic growth. As you know, recently the Head of State instructed that a unified small business support program be promptly adopted to stimulate business activity. The Government has prepared a comprehensive document aimed at targeted support for small and microbusinesses and the development of production taking into account regional specifics,” Olzhas Bektenov noted.

According to the Ministry of National Economy, the unified small business support program “Isker aimaq” is focused on the development of entrepreneurship, primarily in rural areas and small towns, with an emphasis on technologically simple and quickly implementable projects that deliver a rapid socio-economic effect—from processing agricultural raw materials and producing food products to woodworking and craft activities. The program is to be implemented in three areas: financial, non-financial, and infrastructure measures.

In close interaction with the business community, the Government is building a new tax policy aimed at supporting entrepreneurs. During the meeting, attention was paid to improving the conditions for doing business and reforming tax administration.

In particular, a transition to a service model of tax administration is being carried out. Fiscal сопровождение of the entrepreneur is being introduced from the moment of registration and throughout their activity. Tax authorities have been tasked not with punishing for mistakes, but with helping to prevent them.

A 30% reduction in tax reporting and a 20% reduction in the number of taxes and fees are envisaged. This will allow entrepreneurs to reduce the administrative burden and focus on developing their business.

Inspections will now be carried out exclusively when risks are present. Scheduled tax audits have been abolished. For micro and small businesses, tax audits and desk audits for periods up to 2026 have also been canceled. In addition, the emphasis on preventing violations is being strengthened—early notification of entrepreneurs about possible risks will be introduced, allowing businesses to adjust their actions in advance without financial losses.

Under the new Budget Code, all tax revenues from small businesses remain at the disposal of local budgets. This increases the interest of akimats in developing entrepreneurship locally. Also, through the “Digital Budget” system, taxpayers will be able to see how their contributions are used for the благоустройство of the relevant areas.

Overall, the growth of the revenue side of the budget due to the new tax and budget policy will make it possible to allocate additional funds to the development of Kazakhstani business.

The Baiterek holding, together with the Atameken National Chamber of Entrepreneurs, will need to organize training and service support for начинающих entrepreneurs.

It was noted that the “Isker aimaq” program is a timely response to the requests of entrepreneurs, especially in rural areas and small towns. Thus, the state is moving from a simple model of distributing subsidies to an approach of shared responsibility of regions focused on creating sustainable production and increasing real output. The goal is not simply to issue loans, but to create sustainable production facilities and ensure real growth in output.

For the effective implementation of “Isker aimaq,” Olzhas Bektenov gave a number of instructions.

First. The Ministry of Finance must ensure financing of the “Isker aimaq” program. Co-financing of the program must also be provided by local budgets. Regional akimats need to promptly form lists of priority industries, taking into account the specifics of districts, for the allocation of first-level subsidies (70% of the budget).

It is necessary to ensure small businesses’ access to production infrastructure and preferential rental of premises.

The importance of developing regional programs to support small business was noted.

As an example, the experience of the city of Almaty was cited, where 25.5 billion tenge from the local budget was allocated this year for the development of SMEs. These measures made it possible to support priority areas for the city, including through the development of small industrial parks and the provision of concessional loans at up to 6% per annum. The positive experience was instructed to be scaled up across the entire country.

Second. To further increase the share of the manufacturing sector in GDP, it is necessary to increase the production capacity of enterprises and stimulate their modernization, including through the re-equipment of production facilities of small and medium-sized businesses.

The Ministry of Industry was instructed to ensure, starting from January next year, the launch of leasing financing for the modernization of production capacities in manufacturing.

Micro and small businesses will have the opportunity to modernize their production for up to 300 million tenge without providing collateral.

Re-equipment will increase the productivity of enterprises and enhance their competitiveness.

Third. Businesses are concerned about the ban on deducting expenses when interacting with suppliers operating under the simplified declaration regime. This affects about 400 thousand (as of the end of 2024 – 397 thousand) representatives of small and microbusiness.

This category of entrepreneurs should not worry about their future.

The Ministry of Finance needs to accompany them by introducing a service model of tax administration with the conduct of relevant explanatory work.

In addition, together with the National Bank, it is necessary to promptly ensure automatic filling of tax reporting for small businesses.

The Ministry of National Economy, together with interested government bodies, was instructed to develop additional non-tax support measures for SMEs operating under the general taxation regime.

One effective mechanism will be the expansion of financing criteria under the “Orleu” program.

Fourth. On the instruction of the Head of State, tax administration will be carried out “from scratch.”

These measures will have a positive effect on all micro and small business entities.

It was instructed to promptly carry out all organizational measures with the adoption of regulatory legal acts and ensuring the readiness of information systems.

Fifth. The program is primarily aimed at supporting entrepreneurs in mono-towns, small towns, and rural areas. Small businesses will have the opportunity to replenish working capital and reduce the debt burden.

About 9% of the nominal interest rate on a bank loan will be subsidized: currently the nominal rate of second-tier banks is 22%, while 8.8% is subsidized.

Overall, the innovations and provisions of the unified program must be explained in an accessible manner to business entities, and relevant methodological recommendations must be issued with wide dissemination in the media and social networks.

The Union of Accountants put forward a noble initiative to launch a program of training and consultations for businesses free of charge. Government bodies must provide all necessary support and assistance to this process.

The work must be carried out everywhere, down to the village level. The Union of Accountants, профильные associations and organizations can use the necessary infrastructure of the state revenue bodies and akimats.

Attention was emphasized for the Ministry of Finance, and in particular for the state revenue bodies, on reformatting the work. The focus should be on prevention and pre-emption of violations.

Fiscal bodies must become partners for taxpayers.

It is necessary to create conditions in which it will be more beneficial for business to operate honestly and pay taxes than to evade them.

All work in this area must be comprehensive and coordinated.

The Government will continue to develop digital platforms, simplify administrative procedures, support inclusivity, and provide small businesses with the necessary tools for sustainable growth.

Coordination has been assigned to Deputy Prime Minister – Minister of National Economy Serik Zhumangarin.

#Olzhas Bektenov #Economy #Finance #Government session #President's instruction #State Programs

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