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Kazakhstan Abandons Universal Income Declaration Plan

Kazakhstan Scraps Universal Tax Declarations Amid Public Concerns In a surprising move, the Kazakh government has proposed canceling the universal tax declaration system set to take effect in 2025. The decision, aimed at alleviating public anxiety amid worsening economic conditions, will exempt over 90% of the population from filing declarations. Experts argue that this adjustment is necessary and practical, as the reform would otherwise add unnecessary strain on taxpayers without significantly benefiting state revenues. Public Backlash and Policy Reassessment The Universal Declaration initiative was intended to include approximately 8 million additional citizens in 2025, encompassing private sector employees, pensioners, and students. However, widespread public concern about the burden on taxpayers and tax authorities prompted a reevaluation. Finance Minister Madi Takiyev announced the exemption on November 19, citing the country's advanced digital infrastructure, which already tracks key financial data. Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov echoed these sentiments, directing the Ministries of Finance, National Economy, and Justice to draft legislative amendments within three days. He emphasized that the reform had “caused concern of the population, which was brought to the attention of the head of state.” He added that a widespread income declaration is unnecessary because the databases of state agencies in Kazakhstan are "highly digitized." Streamlined Tax Obligations The revised approach retains declaration requirements for specific groups, including: Citizens with assets abroad. Individuals making significant purchases (exceeding 74 million KZT, or approximately $149,000, in 2024). Those receiving income are subject to independent taxation. Voluntary declarations will remain an option for all citizens. A Phased Reform The universal declaration system began in 2021 and was implemented in stages. Initially, it targeted government officials and their spouses. The requirement extended to public sector employees and the quasi-public sector in subsequent phases. By 2024, business leaders, entrepreneurs, and their spouses were included. The final stage, which aimed to include the broader population, faced criticism for being outdated in the digital era. President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev acknowledged this, stating, “It is planned that about 8 million more people will submit declarations next year. However, we should consider that the concept of universal income declaration was adopted 14 years ago. During this time, the country has made significant progress in digitalization and fintech. Databases of various government agencies have been integrated. Financial and tax control has been strengthened. Given these large-scale changes, the question arises as to whether it is advisable for citizens falling under the fourth and final stage to submit declarations. The government needs to work out a solution to this.” Expert Analysis Political scientist Gaziz Abishev highlighted the effectiveness of the reform's earlier stages, which targeted those most likely to influence public funds or earn significant income. “The first three stages have already included bureaucrats, civil servants, quasi-public sector employees, and businesspeople. Everyone who manages public funds or earns a considerable income within Kazakhstan’s economy has already been required to report and will continue to submit declarations,” Abishev explained. The fourth stage, set to include around 8 million additional citizens, drew criticism for its lack...

Education Social statistics Schools Human development

Kazakhstan Leads Central Asia in Global Knowledge Index

Kazakhstan performed best among Central Asian countries in the 2024 Global Knowledge Index, conducted by the United Nations Development Program in cooperation with the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Knowledge Foundation. The country takes a respectable 74th place out of 133 countries; however, Kazakhstan is 60th out of the 61 countries with very high human development. The index considers seven indicators covering the countries' education, information and communication technology, and economic sectors. Uzbekistan is in 78th place, and the country ranks 14th out of 28 countries with high human development. Kyrgyzstan has a modest knowledge infrastructure. It is 84th in this rating and is a medium indicator of the country's knowledge infrastructure. The country ranks 5th out of 25 countries with medium human development. Tajikistan records the lowest result among the region's countries in the Global Knowledge Index. With 36.1 points, it takes 111th place among the 133 countries. Regarding medium human development, the country shows the same result as Kyrgyzstan.

Social Nature zoo

Sumbar the Life-Saving Brown Bear Settles in Ashgabat Zoo

The National Museum of Wildlife of Turkmenistan, known as the Ashgabat Zoo, has a new resident — a brown bear named Sumbar, transferred from the Volokolamsk Center of the Moscow Zoo. This bear is not an ordinary bear: earlier, as a donor, his blood saved the life of another female bear. This is a rare case because there are seven groups of bear blood, and the blood of Sumbar suited the sick animal. The bear was given to the Ashgabat Zoo on the initiative of the Eurasian Regional Association of Zoos and Aquariums (EARAZA) in honor of the 33rd anniversary of Turkmenistan's independence. Sumbar will have to adapt to a new place where comfortable conditions have been created for him in a spacious enclosure. Caring zookeepers have hidden food in different corners of the zoo's territory so that the bear can show its instincts. Currently, Sumbar is showing unexpected vegetarian preferences, favoring fruits and nuts. He is soon to be joined by a female brown bear named Aydere, also from the Moscow Zoo. Given that bears reach sexual maturity by age three and that Sumbar and Aydere are still "little," they have time to adapt and become friends, with the prospect of starting a family in the future. This case is unique because it is extremely rare for bears to become donors due to the difficulty of blood group compatibility. When veterinarians discovered that a sick bear cub had a serious illness requiring a blood transfusion, Sumbar's blood matched perfectly. Thanks to this, the bear cub's life was saved. This case attracted the attention of zoologists and veterinarians worldwide, and Sumbar gained heroic status among his subscribers and the center's staff.

Transport Healthcare Social Local Economy Air Pollution

Better Buses Help Air Quality in Bishkek to Improve

Officials claim that the air quality in Kyrgyzstan’s capital, Bishkek, has significantly improved over the last two years due to the ongoing renewal of the municipal transport fleet, switching residential heating from coal to natural gas, and extinguishing the sanitary landfill near Bishkek that had burned for decades. Chyngyzbek Abdymalik Uulu, an atmospheric air specialist at the Kyrgyz Ministry of Natural Resources, Ecology, and Technical Supervision, told Birinchi Radio that the primary sources of air pollution in Bishkek were low-quality coal, exhaust gases from motor transport, and the burning of municipal solid waste at the city landfill. The official says that, in large part, the air quality has improved due to the decreasing number of minibuses on Bishkek streets. Over the past 30 years, "markhrutka" minibuses — mainly aged Mercedes minivans — have been the primary type of municipal transport in Bishkek, vastly surpassing in number the limited fleet of large buses and trolleybuses. Running on diesel, these old marshrutkas spew harmful gases into the atmosphere and congest city traffic, since they stop anywhere on demand. Abdymalik Uulu said more than 3,000 minibuses ran in the capital until 2022. After their number was reduced over the last two years, diesel fuel consumption decreased by 100 tons daily. The Bishkek municipality has now removed the minibuses from the central part of the city and replaced them with large buses running on liquefied natural gas. In 2023, Bishkek purchased a thousand large buses from China, which have been arriving in the capital city in batches over the past year. Today, the municipal fleet has 1,200 buses. In addition, by the end of 2024, the city will receive 100 12-meter-long buses, and 120 electric buses will arrive in the second quarter of 2025. Both officials and analysts agree that renewing the municipal transport fleet will improve the air quality in Bishkek. Abdymalik Uulu added that gasification is another reason for the improved air quality. To date, about 20,000 households have been connected to natural gas networks, which has decreased coal burning by 58,000 tons. Also, he said, all of Bishkek’s 74 large boiler houses that used to burn large amounts of coal daily have now been converted to electricity and natural gas. Finally, the Bishkek sanitary landfill, which burned for decades and released large volumes of harmful emissions, has been completely extinguished.

Energy Legislation Social Solar Energy Electricity supply low income

Free Solar Panels for Uzbekistan’s Low Income Households

Uzbekistan has launched a program to install solar panels in the homes of low-income families in the Tashkent Oblast. The key aim of the initiative, implemented with the participation of ACWA Power, an enterprise engaged in regional energy projects, is to reduce electricity costs for vulnerable sectors of the population. Under the plan, some 20,000 low-income households, especially those with air conditioning, will receive free photovoltaic panels with a 1.5 to 2 kW capacity, to reduce energy costs during the summer. The project is part of the government's broader strategy to transition to renewable energy. The country has already taken steps in this direction, including the construction of solar and wind farms, which in recent years, have enabled Uzbekistan to reduce its electricity imports from more than 4 billion kWh to less than 3 billion kWh and even begin to export electricity. The initiative is also a continuation of the Solar Home Program which was introduced in 2023 to encourage the installation of solar panels in private households across the country.

Healthcare Social Climate Emergency Floods Emergency

More Mudflows Flood Homes in Kyrgyzstan’s Issyk-Kul Region

Powerful mudslides caused by heavy rains are again causing damage in Kyrgyzstan's northern Issyk-Kul region. A state of emergency has been declared in three districts. The mudflows descended in several locations in the south and north of the Issyk-Kul region, flooding highways and mountain passes. In the town of Cholpon-Ata, water from the canal has reportedly flooded the streets. Several resorts and vacation homes have also been flooded, and there are power outages in the region. Eyewitnesses have reported that Lake Issyk-Kul has turned green. It is known that dozens of people have been evacuated from the flooded areas. Seven hundred fifty-five rescuers and military personnel are clearing up the damage, but heavy rains are still forecast for the coming days. Other parts of Kyrgyzstan, such as Naryn and Jalal-Abad in the center of the country, are also susceptible to mudflows. “We urge citizens to be vigilant and observe precautionary measures,” rescuers have appealed to citizens.