More than half of Kazakhstanis oppose VAT increase, poll says

More than half of the surveyed Kazakhstanis said they oppose the idea of increasing the value-added tax (VAT), promoted by the government. Many have already reported price increases in groceries and essential goods. The other half of Kazakhstanis are not confident in their financial well-being, as indicated by the results of a survey on perception of the socio-economic situation in Kazakhstan conducted by the Bureau for Express Monitoring of Public Opinion Demoscope.

During the poll, respondents were asked several questions, including one about the VAT increase from 12% to 16%.

The obtained results indicated that the absolute majority of Kazakhstanis (56.7%) aren’t happy with the VAT increase, with only 11.8% supporting the change. Another 18.4% of respondents haven’t even heard about the decision, while 8.1% said they do not care.

«The increased tax burden, along with a reduced VAT threshold to 15 million tenge (approximately $29,000), will result in an inevitable rise in prices. Meanwhile, 68.6% of Kazakhstanis have already noted a significant increase in the cost of groceries and essential goods over the past three months,» Demoscope said.

Nearly 14% of respondents said their expenses have increased just slightly; 11% claimed their expenses haven’t changed and only 2.8% reported a decrease in their daily expenses.

More than half of participants (51.5%) expressed a lack of confidence in their financial well-being over the next 12 months.

«Out of these, 21.6% have zero confidence, and 29.9% said they are more unconfident than confident. At the same time, 41.8% of respondents assess their financial situation as stable: 21.9% are likely to be confident and 19.9% are fully confident that their financial situation is going to be sustainable within the next 12 months,» Demoscope reported.

Among the survey’s participants, young people have demonstrated greater financial confidence than middle-aged and elderly respondents. People over 40 are particularly concerned about their future in Kazakhstan.

Main concerns among Kazakhstanis

It is worth noting that the price growth of essential goods is not the main concern on the list for the vast majority of people in Kazakhstan. This conclusion stems from the results of a comparative analysis by Demoscope based on statistics obtained in November 2024 and March 2025.

The list of concerns is topped by anxiety about low income (47.4% in March compared to 37.6% in November).

The second most concerning issue for Kazakhstanis is corruption, which annoys 43.6% of respondents, compared to 26.8% last year.

The price increase in essential goods is in third place, cited by 33.9% of respondents (compared to 28.3% in 2024).

Among other social challenges, Kazakhstanis pointed out the following:

• 4th place: Low levels of pensions, allowances and scholarships (30.8%)
• 5th place: Poor education system (27.1%)
• 6th place: Polluted environment (25.9%)
• 7th place: Job shortages and difficulties in finding employment (22.6%)
• 8th place: Inaccessible or poor-quality housing (19.4%)
• 9th place: Poor healthcare (18.3%)
• 10th place: Poor transport infrastructure, including highways, sidewalks, etc. (12.3%)
• 11th place: Problems related to utility infrastructure (7.5%)

Kazakhstanis place little trust in the government

At the recent National Kurultai — a large gathering of public figures and officials aimed at discussing social and economic initiatives in Kazakhstan — President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev shared his opinion on amending the tax burden on businesses, along with other state reforms, and gave a set of instructions to the cabinet. However, 58.9% of respondents haven’t heard about the event, according to Demoscope’s survey.

More generally, 39.1% of respondents haven’t tried to hide their skepticism, claiming that little to nothing of the president’s instructions would be actually implemented.

Another 19.4% of respondents expect only half of the instructions to be implemented, while 20.4% of respondents are more optimistic, stating that the majority or all of the instructions will be carried out by the cabinet. The remaining 21.1% of respondents said they have no clue.