"The game is over!". Tax on gambling in Kazakhstan can double
Bookmakers and casino owners predict a shift to the illegal field
The news, amid government statements that the new Tax Code was developed taking into account the opinion of the business community, shocked representatives of the gambling industry. First of all, its unexpected. The deputies of the Senate of the Parliament returned the final draft of the document to the Majilis for revision.
The price of the issue is palpable even for a seemingly profitable sphere. After all, it's about doubling the tax for the gambling business, and one and a half times for the electronic checkout of bookmakers.
"What does this mean? In the gambling business, the tax is paid from the facility. In the casino - it's a roulette table and a slot machine. Bookmakers have cash desks. It is easy to calculate: if we now pay 300 thousand tenge more per month from one facility, then we will pay 600 from the new year", says - Badri Shainidze, president of the SRO of the bookmaker and lottery activities of the RK.
The calculations made convince entrepreneurs that the result of the increase in taxes will not be an increase in the collection of payments to the budget, as initiators of uncoordinated innovations suggest. After trying to avoid paying taxes, many players will start working in an illegal field.
"At the stage of discussing the code, we were able to persuade the authorized bodies and to some extent we went to meet them. Corrected the "distortions" in taxation because of which the gambling business is still partly in the shadows. But take a decision unilaterally to increase the tax at the last moment... It is unacceptable that such a respected body as the Ministry of National Economy, by its actions provoked even greater care of business in the shadows. The question arises: is this really a conscious step or is it some kind of sabotage?"- Badri Shaynidze asks.
Extremely unacceptable is the decision of the Ministry in the National Chamber of Entrepreneurs "Atameken", which in fact became one of the co-authors of the new Tax Code. During the year, the business discussed the main provisions of the document. Entrepreneurs made their proposals and key ones were supported by state bodies. In particular, the reduction of the social tax rate from 11% to 9.5%, the preservation of the current threshold for VAT - 30,000 MCI, the revision of the limitation period for business from 5 to 3 years, and many other initiatives. However, the issue of increasing the tax for the gambling business was examined without discussion with Atameken and businessmen.
"In this case, we do not protect someone's financial interests, because surely in the eyes of the man in the street casino and bookmakers are focused on super profit. The problem is much thinner. After all, it is exactly the same business that is embedded in the economic system, forms taxes, attracts investments and needs predictable rules for working in the market. The very fact that the decision is taken unilaterally, without the given economic justifications, without taking into account the opinion of entrepreneurs, without discussion with the National Chamber - is unacceptable and runs counter to the established practice of mutual relations in matters of norm-setting between business and government agencies", - says the deputy director of the SME Development Department of NCE RK "Atameken" Irina Tyugina.
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