Kazakhstan aims to cut shadow economy to 13.8% of GDP by 2028 using AI

ASTANA. July 21 (Interfax) - Kazakhstan is aiming to reduce the shadow economy's share of GDP from 16.7% in 2025 to 13.8% by 2028, under a comprehensive action plan approved by the government, the Tax Committee of the Finance Ministry said.

The plan, covering 2026-2028, aims to shrink the shadow economy, ensure fair competition and improve business transparency, the committee said.

In recent years, the government has prevented 360 billion tenge in unjustified budget spending, while the shadow economy's share of GDP fell from 24% in 2019 to 16.7% in 2025. The new plan is designed to build on these gains and continue reducing the shadow sector to 13.8% of GDP by 2028, the committee said.

A unified digital monitoring platform using AI will be the key tool for implementing the plan. It will consolidate data from government agencies, quickly identify shadow activity risks and prevent violations before they cause budget damage, the committee said.

Other measures include expanding the digital marketplace platform Digital Bazaar, broadening the list of goods subject to mandatory digital labeling and expanding the national product catalog. These steps will improve trade transparency, reduce counterfeit goods and ensure a level playing field for all market participants, the committee said.

The committee said that the plan would not increase the administrative burden on businesses, focusing instead on digitalization, automation, AI and modern analytics tools.