Kazakhstan State Revenue Committee has announced the publication date of the register of recipients of foreign financing for the second half of 2024. The publication is scheduled for 20 March.
The document, unofficially called the "register of foreign agents", is expected to continue the policy of increasing transparency of financial flows in the country.
The practice of publishing the register began in 2023. According to the State Revenue Committee, in the first half of 2023 the list included 239 recipients of foreign financing. In the following two reporting periods, this number decreased to 192.
Among the organisations included in the register for the first half of 2024 are influential public institutions: the public foundation PaperLab, "Kazakhstan Youth Information Service", "International Legal Initiative", "International Foundation for the Protection of Freedom of Speech 'Әділ сөз'", the MediaNet International Centre for Journalism and "North Kazakhstan Legal Media Centre".
The list also includes well-known Kazakh journalists Ainur Koskina and Jamila Maricheva, the republican trade union association "Federation of Trade Unions of the Republic of Kazakhstan", the human rights foundation "Ar.Rukh.Khak", the public association "Қадір-қасиет", the charitable public foundation CAPS Unlock and others.
The full list of persons included in the register for the first half of 2024 can be found at this link.
The history of the register's formation began in 2018 with the introduction into the Tax Code of a requirement for mandatory reporting for recipients of foreign financing. The law applies to organisations and individuals engaged in legal assistance, conducting sociological research and public opinion polls.
In 2022, Article 29 of the Tax Code was supplemented with a provision on the mandatory publication of the register on the official internet resource of the State Revenue Committee. The first public list appeared in September 2023, including a wide range of recipients – from private individuals to large organisations.
The introduction of the system of public accounting of foreign financing provoked mixed reactions in society. Human rights defenders expressed concern about possible parallels with the legislation on "foreign agents" in neighbouring states.
However, the Kazakh model differs in that it focuses on ensuring financial transparency without imposing additional restrictions on organisations and individuals.
We assume that the publication of the new register will continue the development of the financial monitoring system in Kazakhstan. This will allow the public to obtain up-to-date information on the scale and directions of foreign financing of various sectors of civil society.