Perfect shots, striking reels, and successful achievements—this is the image of content produced by most bloggers in Kazakhstan. However, behind this attractive facade are entire teams of accountants managing their finances. According to reports, by the end of 2024, local influencers paid 60% more in taxes than in 2023, as reported by inbusiness.kz.
As per the data from the Committee for State Revenues, tax revenues from Kazakhstani bloggers rose to 3.2 billion tenge in 2024, compared to 2 billion tenge the previous year. The Committee did not clarify the reasons for such a sharp increase, but several factors may have influenced the situation. Firstly, new advertising labeling rules came into effect in March 2024, which made bloggers' incomes more transparent. Secondly, influencers might have been impacted by the president's remarks about how "the beautiful life on social media and aggressive advertising create an illusion for people that achieving everything is easy and straightforward."
Interestingly, immediately following this statement, blogger Zheka Fatbelly (3.1 million followers) released a video where he candidly shared that he "had a wedding on credit" and had to return to work to pay off the debt for the lavish celebration. It’s worth noting that prominent artists performed at his wedding, and the cost of the betashar ceremony reached up to one million tenge.
According to the latest data, there are about 750 registered bloggers in Kazakhstan, but the actual number is likely much higher. Among the officially registered influencers, 62.6% operate as individual entrepreneurs (IE) and apply a special tax regime (STR), 3.4% pay taxes under the general tax regime (GTR), while 34% continue to work as individuals, meaning that every third influencer is not registered as an entrepreneur and may not be paying taxes in full.
Despite the increase in tax revenues, a significant portion of influencers continues to work unofficially. According to the Committee for State Revenues, the reasons vary:
Of course, bloggers can operate as individuals, but if their income exceeds 12 times the minimum wage (MW) per year, registering as an individual entrepreneur becomes mandatory.
"If this threshold is exceeded, registration becomes mandatory; otherwise, such activities are considered a violation of the law and may result in fines," the committee warned.
Despite the increased activity of tax authorities, tax evasion among bloggers remains common. In 2024, desk audits revealed 37 influencers who understated their incomes by 630.1 million tenge. The Committee for State Revenues did not disclose the names of the violators, but it is known that all received notifications and settled their debts.
However, the results of the audits for 2024 are not yet final. Desk audits will continue into 2025, as the deadlines for filing tax returns have not yet arrived. Therefore, Kazakhstan may see a scenario similar to Russia's tax scandals, but with milder consequences.
What penalties do bloggers face for violating tax legislation?
Currently, Kazakhstan does not have a separate "industry code of economic activity" for bloggers. This means that each of them conducts their activities differently, using various codes, such as providing individual services, advertising activities, organizing events, and others. It does not matter whether you are a millionaire blogger earning over 3 million tenge from advertising or a budding influencer aspiring for success. Thus, the question of fairness in tax burden remains open.
The committee noted that approaches to taxing bloggers may change in the near future. Specifically, new measures to detect evasion and simplify the tax payment process are being developed in collaboration with other government agencies. What specific innovations will be made is still unknown. It remains to be seen whether they will help make the tax system more transparent and fair for all market participants.