Tax Sweep to Target Elite Restaurants and Fitness Clubs in Kazakhstan

Kazakhstan’s upscale establishments are next in line for a tax check. Following audits in the construction sector, the State Revenue Committee has announced inspections targeting premium restaurants and fitness clubs, Orda.kz reports.

These businesses—often associated with high expenses and low transparency — are under scrutiny as part of a broader tax compliance campaign launched earlier this year. The initiative follows Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov’s public dissatisfaction with major companies underreporting revenue.

At the time, he gave businesses a two-week window to pay additional taxes voluntarily.

So far, more than 27 billion tenge has been collected: 16.5 billion from construction, 2.8 billion from trade, 2.1 billion from services, and 5.6 billion from other industries,the State Revenue Committee noted. 

Authorities say the effort to uncover tax evasion schemes is ongoing.

They are focusing primarily on companies that technically operate under the general tax regime but consistently underreport their obligations — often through shadow business practices.

Previously, major construction firms like BI Group and BAZIS paid their dues after Bektenov’s sharp criticism.

In total, 633 companies were audited, including 172 large developers. Some have since proposed collaborating with the Ministry of Finance to create digital tools for improving financial transparency.

Original Author: Ruslan Loginov