ASTANA – At the plenary session of the Mazhilis (the lower chamber of Kazakhstan’s Parliament) on Oct. 9 chaired by Speaker of the Chamber Nurlan Nigmatulin, a package of new bills and tax and budget amendments were approved.
The amendments include rules in pursuance to the orders given to the government as part of the president’s address to the people of Kazakhstan, “Strategy 2050.” In particular, they include the introduction of higher tax rates on land that is not under development within a certain period after being granted.
Rules raising taxes on luxury items transport and property as well as excise taxes on tobacco and alcohol were also provided.
The legislative amendments are intended to help realise the new budget policy, which involves the formation of foundations to balance national finances and budgetary efficiency. They also address issues of creating local budgets, budget planning, budget investments and the responsibilities of administrators of budgetary programmes.
Minister of Economy and Budget Planning Yerbolat Dossayev, speaking to members of the Mazhilis, said “the draft bill was elaborated to implement the concept of a new budget policy and the decisions of the Advisory Board on Taxation.”
He also noted that previous proposals by the Nur Otan party to change the tax rates on individuals’ property and vehicles were conceptually supported by the ministry.
At the plenary session, the Mazhilis also adopted the ratification bill on the Kazakh-Turkish Agreement on the Transfer of Sentenced Persons and the Kazakhstan-China Treaty on the Transfer of Sentenced Persons. Both documents regulate the transfer of citizens of the respective countries, convicted in the other country to imprisonment in their home countries.
The law on ratification of the Kazakhstan-Czech Agreement on Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters was also passed in legislative proceedings. The draft law defines the process of cooperation between competent authorities of the two countries on issues of mutual legal assistance in the investigation and trial of criminal cases and in data and evidence collection about crimes, the punishment for which will be decided according to the jurisdiction of the parties.
A bill on Physical Culture and Sports was adopted with associated amendments stipulating issues of conclusion and termination of contracts of professional sports activity. The new bill provides for the introduction of monitoring of compliance with anti-doping rules, ensuring the impossibility of bribing competitors and the impartiality of judges and other measures. The bill introduces new procedures concerning the registration of athletes, the classification of disabled athletes and the formation of the register of sports and sports facilities.
