The State Revenue Committee (SRC) has compiled a list of 745 bloggers for tax control purposes. Of these, 499 are registered as individual entrepreneurs, while 246 are registered as individuals. The list includes those who have more than 20,000 followers on Instagram, YouTube and TikTok.
According to Ulysmedia.kz, the SRC calculated that in 2023, 745 bloggers paid 513,229,224 tenge in taxes. For the previous tax period of 2024, the amount totalled 715,086,719 tenge.
"On 10 July 2023, Kazakhstan adopted the law 'On Online Platforms and Online Advertising', regulating the creation, placement, and distribution of online advertising in the country. According to the law, an influencer (blogger) is a user of an online platform who publishes information for an indefinite circle of persons with the aim of conducting entrepreneurial activities. Issues of online advertising at the state level are handled by the Ministry of Culture and Information of the Republic of Kazakhstan.", the department noted.
It is reported that in 2023, the SRC checked bloggers for understating their income. Based on the results of the inspection, 37 bloggers were sent a notice of additional tax payments totalling 630.1 million tenge.
"Bloggers have 30 days to rectify the shortcomings after receiving the notice. If they agree with the notice, they submit additional tax reports and correct the situation. In the event of non-compliance with the notice, a tax audit is conducted, and for further violations, a case may be initiated under Article 288 of the Administrative Code.", the statement reads.