The Supreme Audit Chamber conducted a state audit on the effectiveness of combating the shadow economy. The results were discussed at a meeting of the Chamber, chaired by Alikhan Smailov. Based on the analysis, the audit identified several high-risk areas and sectors susceptible to shadow turnover. The Chamber believes that there is a "high probability of the production of 'shadow' goods or services" in Kazakhstan. As an example, the chamber cited data from the State Revenue Committee, which indicated that "citizens of three Central Asian countries earned 136 billion tenge in Kazakhstan over three years. However, according to the National Bank, during the same period, they transferred a total of 1 trillion tenge back home."
According to the Chamber, there is currently no government agency in Kazakhstan responsible for formulating a unified policy to combat the shadow economy. As a result, each government agency takes measures within its competence, but there is no cohesive system with clear distribution of functions.
"Comprehensive plans are insufficiently focused on reducing the shadow economy. The measures are poorly developed, and some are effectively removed from control without being implemented. There is no assessment of their impact on reducing the shadow economy. At the same time, the audit showed that there is a significant volume of hidden turnover in the country," noted the Chairman of the Chamber, Alikhan Smailov, during the meeting.
Auditors also raised questions about the methodologies used to determine the unobserved economy, which often employs the ratio of cashless turnover. This ratio compares cashless payments by individuals for goods and services to GDP. "The share of such payments is growing every year, which automatically 'lowers' the level of the shadow economy. Therefore, the validity of this ratio is questionable," the Chamber believes.
Auditors argue that the methodology for determining the shadow economy should be reconsidered. Currently, the cashless turnover ratio is used, which compares cashless payments by individuals for goods and services to GDP. However, the share of such payments increases year by year, which 'reduces' the level of the shadow economy. The justification for choosing this coefficient raises doubts within the Chamber.
Furthermore, in one of the calculation categories, data on housing rental and the entertainment sector are not taken into account. In another category, data collection on small enterprises has shifted from a comprehensive to a selective method. As a result, the coverage of the shadow economy is decreasing.
The audit established the following results:
- indirect losses to the budget in the revenue part amounting to 74 billion tenge;
- 18 procedural violations;
- 23 systemic deficiencies.