Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan are taking sharply different approaches to the growing influence of bloggers. In Bishkek, President Sadyr Japarov has signed a decree calling for tax incentives for the IT sector, startups and creative industries, including bloggers, a move that has sparked criticism even from content creators themselves.
In Astana, meanwhile, authorities are intensifying scrutiny of influencers’ income and using criminal law in high-profile cases involving online figures. Kazakh tax authorities have continued scrutinizing the earnings of popular bloggers, alongside high-profile enforcement cases. In addition, journalists and other online voices in Kazakhstan have faced prosecution under Article 274 of the Criminal Code, which concerns the dissemination of knowingly false information and carries the possibility of a prison sentence.
Japarov’s Tax Initiative Sparks Debate
Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov’s initiative to introduce tax breaks for the IT sector, startups, and representatives of the creative industries has sparked broad public debate. The decree, signed on June 12 and titled “On Measures to Improve the Tax System and Tax Administration,” calls for broad changes to tax legislation, including five-year tax holidays for several categories of business.
Under the decree, companies and entrepreneurs working in software development, information systems, and artificial intelligence may be exempt from number of taxes for five years. The proposed benefits would also extend to startups, outsourcing companies, producers of film, video and television content, bloggers, remote employees of foreign companies, and other creative-industry workers.
Under the same preferential regime, authorities also plan to set income tax at 5% and social security contributions at 12% of the average monthly wage for these categories.
Kyrgyzstan’s State Tax Service says the new measure will help position the country as a regional center for IT and creative industries, including artificial intelligence. The agency expects the tax incentives to attract investment, stimulate the creation of new startups and increase exports of digital services.
Supporters of the initiative argue that reducing the tax burden could provide an important boost for young entrepreneurs and technology companies, allowing them to direct more resources toward product development, the introduction of new technologies, and improved competitiveness. Authorities also hope the measure will help retain young specialists in the country and make Kyrgyzstan more attractive to international companies.
At the same time, the proposal has drawn criticism, particularly over the inclusion of bloggers among those eligible for tax benefits.
Social media users have questioned why the state is granting tax breaks to content creators while doctors, teachers, and other socially important professions continue to pay taxes in full.
Kyrgyz blogger and entrepreneur Ilim Karypbekov has publicly opposed exempting bloggers from taxes. He said content creators earning money from advertising should pay taxes on the same basis as other entrepreneurs.
Karypbekov said he supports tax incentives for the IT sector but believes it is a mistake to extend them to bloggers.
“If I earned 100 soms, I would give four soms to the state. That is a very small amount,” Karypbekov said, adding that many popular bloggers generate substantial advertising revenue and should contribute to the state budget.
Criticism has also come from within the blogging community itself. Blogger Aziza Berdibaeva said she understands the public’s dissatisfaction and believes tax benefits should first be directed toward supporting doctors and teachers.
“If people are going to hate us for this, please, take back our taxes,” she said. Berdibaeva added that bloggers already pay taxes and would continue to do so, and called instead for restoring access to TikTok.
The debate surrounding the decree has shown that, despite the potential economic benefits of the initiative, society remains divided over who exactly should be entitled to tax breaks.
Kazakhstan Takes a Tougher Approach
Kazakhstan, meanwhile, appears determined to formalize and regulate the blogging and digital content market, including earlier proposals for a blogger licensing system. Tax authorities regularly remind content creators of their obligation to declare income, while leading influencers face regular checks. Officials say these measures are aimed at bringing the digital economy out of the shadows.
Kazakh tax officials say some bloggers and influencers have underreported their income. Through a desk-based review known as cameral tax control, authorities identified 854 influencers and bloggers who had underreported income for 2022–2023 by a total of 71.9 billion tenge, or about $139.5 million, according to the State Revenue Committee of the Finance Ministry.
Of those, 622 influencers filed additional declarations covering 18.3 billion tenge, or about $35.5 million, in income. The resulting tax assessment totaled 875.5 million tenge. Previous State Revenue Committee figures put underreported income by 594 bloggers at 53.3 billion tenge, or about $103.4 million.
The Zhanabylov Case
As a separate example of enforcement related to influencer activity, an Astana court in April found bloggers Yerbolat Zhanabylov and Elmira Tolegenova guilty of illegal entrepreneurship and laundering criminal proceeds. Tolegenova was sentenced to two years in a minimum-security prison, with confiscation of property. Her sentence was deferred for two years because she has young children. Zhanabylov received a two-year suspended sentence, also with confiscation of property.
Zhanabylov and Tolegenova are among Kazakhstan’s most popular bloggers. Zhanabylov has 8.4 million followers, while Tolegenova has 7.1 million. Their posts regularly attract millions of views, and their giveaways often go viral on Instagram.
According to investigators, the couple used the trust of their audience to generate illegal income. In 2025, they allegedly organized a scheme disguised as online courses, with buyers drawn mainly by giveaways for expensive prizes.
Investigators concluded that the video materials had no educational value. Much of the content had been copied from open sources, including YouTube, and served only as a cover for an unlicensed lottery.
Authorities also said the prize fund was not financed from the couple’s own money, as they had publicly claimed, but from payments made by participants under the guise of online course fees. The couple publicly announced that an 11th car would be awarded to the participant who made the most reposts, in an attempt to increase reach and draw attention to the campaign. According to law enforcement, no winner was selected and no prize was handed over.
During the arrests, authorities seized a large amount of cash and froze 10 vehicles, including a Lamborghini Urus and a Lexus LX 600, as well as 17 iPhones. The case became one of Kazakhstan’s most prominent enforcement actions involving the influencer economy.
Kazakhstan also enforces Article 274 of the Criminal Code, which punishes the dissemination of knowingly false information. In March, a group of Kazakhstani journalists appealed to President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev to decriminalize the article. The appeal followed the opening of a case against journalist Botagoz Omarova, which was later dropped after she admitted guilt and issued an apology.
KazTAG editor-in-chief Amir Kasenov, who is also charged under the same article, was under house arrest until June 15, when a court replaced his house arrest with detention in custody.
Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan are taking notably different paths in regulating bloggers. While Bishkek is moving to support and formalize the creative sector through tax breaks, Astana is tightening oversight of both income and content. As social media’s influence continues to grow, both countries are searching for their own balance between developing the digital economy, ensuring tax transparency and holding online voices accountable.
