The American company Anthropic, developer of the AI assistant Claude, and the Chinese marketplace Pinduoduo have paid KZT 8 billion into Kazakhstan's budget. The payments resulted from tax authorities' work with foreign internet platforms. At the same time, access to the international marketplace Farfetch was restricted due to failure to meet tax requirements.
HOW MUCH FOREIGN COMPANIES PAID
According to the State Revenue Committee of the Republic of Kazakhstan (SRC), the Chinese marketplace Pinduoduo paid KZT 6.8 billion (about $15.1 million) into Kazakhstan's budget.
The American company Anthropic, developer of the AI assistant Claude, paid a further KZT 1.2 billion (about $2.6 million) for previous tax periods.
The company complied with the SRC's notifications issued following desk audits — reviews of tax data without visiting the taxpayer.
WHY FOREIGN PLATFORMS ARE OBLIGED TO PAY TAXES
Foreign internet platforms operating in Kazakhstan and falling under the requirements of tax legislation are obliged to pay the established taxes.
The SRC continues to monitor compliance with these obligations. If a foreign company fails to comply with the tax authorities' requirements, the legislation permits restricting access to its website in Kazakhstan.
WHY KAZAKHSTAN RESTRICTED ACCESS TO FARFETCH
Such measures have already been applied to the international marketplace Farfetch, registered in the United Kingdom. The platform sells clothing, footwear, accessories and branded goods.
The SRC sent the site's operator a notification following a desk audit. However, the company did not comply with the requirements set out.
After that, access to Farfetch in Kazakhstan was restricted.
WHAT MEASURES ARE APPLIED TO FOREIGN COMPANIES
The SRC stressed that the requirements of tax legislation apply to all foreign internet platforms falling under the established rules.
In the event of non-fulfilment of tax obligations, the authority has the right to initiate restriction of access to internet resources in the manner prescribed by law.
