President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev proposed discussing a three-year moratorium on inspections of micro and small businesses starting on January 1, 2027. The measure remains a proposal; no decision to introduce it has been announced.
In his address to the people of Kazakhstan, Tokayev asked Kurultai members and the government to consider whether another moratorium would be warranted, taking into account the benefits and drawbacks of the previous pause. Both Vlast and Informburo.kz reported the proposal.
Why the president proposed a pause
Tokayev said entrepreneurs need stable operating conditions. He described state oversight as relatively light-touch, while noting that fines, unscheduled inspections and desk audits leading to account freezes continue to affect businesses.
According to the figures he cited, violations by individual entrepreneurs fell by 34% in the first half of the year. Meanwhile, the total amount of fines increased by almost 11%, and unscheduled inspections rose to dozens of times their previous level.
Lessons from the previous moratorium
Tokayev described the experience of the 2020–2023 moratorium as effective and proposed assessing both its positive and negative aspects before deciding on another pause.
Vlast notes that the previous moratorium initially ran from January 1, 2020 to January 1, 2023, and was subsequently extended until January 1, 2024.
What the proposed moratorium would achieve
The proposal concerns micro and small businesses. Tokayev said the three-year pause should provide an opportunity to overhaul the system of state control and supervision and move towards digital regulation.
The government and Kurultai members have been asked to discuss the measure. January 1, 2027 is the proposed start date, rather than an approved commencement date.
