Improving business environment discussed in Almaty

On March 27, 2019, a meeting with entrepreneurs was held in Almaty on improving business conditions and raising the position of Kazakhstan in the Doing Business rating.
The site brought together representatives of various organizations and departments, where current issues were discussed and joint decisions were developed regarding improving conditions and increasing the pace of business development in Kazakhstan.
The Ministry of Justice voiced the issues of improving the business climate related to the implementation of legislative initiatives aimed at reducing administrative barriers, reducing permits for business, and their law enforcement practices.
The results of the reforms and the state of business in Kazakhstan are evaluated by independent experts of the World Bank. According to the World Bank's 2018 report in the Doing Business rating, Kazakhstan rose by 8 points compared with the previous period and ranked 28th among 190 countries of the world, raising its rating for the entire period by 49 positions.
Kazakhstan was ahead of such countries as Spain (30th place), France (32), Poland (33), Portugal (34), Switzerland (38), Japan (39), Turkey (43). Among the countries of the Eurasian Economic Union, Kazakhstan is in the lead, with Russia (31), Belarus (37), Armenia (41) and Kyrgyzstan (70) ranked lower by rating.
There are 3 indicators assigned to the Ministry of Justice:
- Opening of enterprises - 36th place versus 41st places last year, having improved their positions by 5;
- Registration of property - 18th place, against 17th place last year, a slight decrease of 1 position;
- Execution of contracts - 4th place, against 6th place last year, having improved its position by 2.
During the event, presentations were made on implemented measures to simplify the procedure for starting a business, in particular, opening a bank account, concluding an insurance contract, reducing the time required to register a value-added tax from 5 (five) to 1 (one) working day, imposing a ban on the requirement to print on documents from private companies, the status of work when obtaining a building permit, the possibilities of processing and registering rights to real estate and others.
Experts noted that the implementation of voiced legislative initiatives within the Doing Business rating will have a positive impact on the development of business in Kazakhstan, attracting additional investments into the country and, as a result, on the development of the economy, providing better conditions for every citizen of the country.