Kazakhstan is considering exempting all financial transactions made via QR payments from value-added tax (VAT), reports infohub.kz.
According to the press service of the Ministry of National Economy, a meeting at the ministry discussed the development of non-cash payments in the country. Participants reviewed the prospects of modern non-cash payment methods, including QR payments, phone number transfers, electronic money, and the digital tenge.
Financial regulators proposed extending the existing VAT exemption for payment card transactions to services related to other non-cash payment methods. It was noted that the payment market is actively developing, and digital payment methods are becoming increasingly popular. Regulators emphasized the importance of creating uniform conditions to stimulate non-cash payments and digital payment solutions.
The ministry explained that the VAT exemption was previously introduced as a separate measure for the most common payment instrument at the time. However, with the emergence of new payment methods, including QR payments, mobile transfers, and the digital tenge, the payment market has changed significantly. The automatic extension of the tax benefit to new instruments was not considered earlier, as it required assessing the economic effect and clearly defining the list of operations to which it should apply.
Furthermore, the current payment legislation was updated in 2026, expanding the definition of payment card transactions, which requires additional clarification of tax regulation.
Minister Serik Zhumangarin noted that the development of modern payment instruments, including QR payments and the digital tenge, is a positive trend. At the same time, he stressed the need to justify the economic effect of the proposed measure. The issue will be further elaborated.