(16 February 2026 | Source: TV channel «24KZ»)
The State Revenue Committee (SRC) has recovered around 500 million tenge from nearly 850 popular bloggers on social media.
Based on the results of the desk audit for 2022–2023, cases of non-payment or understatement of income were identified. Monitoring of bloggers' activities has been stepped up, with any income, including gifts, barter and advertising, being taken into account, and any discrepancies found require explanations.
BARTER AND GIFTS AS INCOME
According to the acting director of the department of the SRC, Yerkanat Shynbergen, income is considered not only monetary remuneration, but also property or gifts.
“Consequently, tax must be paid on them. We mainly focus on instances of advertising placement, since bloggers most often receive income from advertising,” he noted in an interview with the programme «TҮЙІН» on the TV channel 24KZ.
All activities of bloggers on social networks aimed at generating profit, including publications for the purpose of income, are considered entrepreneurial and are included in the tax base.
HOW VIOLATIONS ARE IDENTIFIED
Information on bloggers' income is collected from various government agencies and banks and is cross-referenced with data in declarations. When discrepancies are found, the individual receives a notification about possible non-payment of tax or understatement of income.
There are two ways to comply with the notification:
- Declare the amounts in the tax return and pay the tax.
- If the taxpayer disagrees, they can provide an explanation and evidence within 30 days.