A lawmaker suggested monitoring how Kazakh citizens spend their social assistance payments.

According to Deputy Mukash Iskandirov, the Addressed Social Assistance (ASA), intended to aid Kazakhstanis with monthly incomes below the poverty line, is, in fact, demotivating them from earning.

"In practice, ASA increasingly becomes a factor that hinders development and labor activity. The ASA system creates a paradoxical situation: instead of providing temporary support, it turns into a means of existence. Many families, in order to maintain their benefits, engage in fictitious divorces or conceal their income.

Wealth control is based on formal criteria: not only actual incomes are considered, but also ownership of livestock, since the calculation methodology even accounts for a single chicken or cow. As a result, families are forced to choose between developing even a small farm or risking the loss of assistance. The current ASA system does not solve the problem of poverty; it merely reinforces dependence on the state," the deputy stated.

Iskandirov believes that the approach to ASA needs to be reconsidered as follows:

Implementation of professional education, training, retraining, and employment assistance programs to promote long-term independence for aid recipients.

Expansion of evaluation criteria to include not only official income but also the real standard of living of families, taking into account regional specifics and the current socio-economic situation.

Introduction of mechanisms for monitoring and assessing the effectiveness of the support provided to prevent the misuse of funds and ensure targeted distribution.

Transition to more targeted benefits aimed at addressing specific needs (for example, expenses for education, healthcare, housing).

Establishing annual confirmation of the right to receive assistance instead of the current three-month period, which will reduce the administrative burden on families and government agencies.

It should be noted that starting from January 1, 2025, Kazakhstan will begin to redefine the poverty line. Previously, it was set at 70% of the regional subsistence minimum, but now it will be 35% of the regional median income. The new indicator takes into account numerous factors but cannot be lower than the old one.

Addressed social assistance in Kazakhstan is allocated to families whose total income per family member falls below this very poverty line. The amount of assistance is equal to the shortfall up to the poverty line.

Recently, we reported that starting from the new year, the amount of addressed social assistance (ASA) is calculated based on median income. It has already been assigned to 169,100 people under the new system.

It has been emphasized that the primary goal of ASA is not to provide for poor families but to help them rise out of difficult financial situations.