Since the beginning of the year, about 5 thousand small enterprises have been opened in the Karaganda region

Akim of Karaganda region Ermaganbet Bulekpayev listened to the questions and wishes of businessmen of the region. Everyone could voice their problem in the format of an "open microphone" at a meeting of the next Expert Council on Entrepreneurship.

Currently, small and medium-sized businesses in the region are steadily developing. There are about 100 thousand SMEs, where 233 thousand people are employed. Over the year, the share of SMEs in the gross regional product increased by 1.5%.

According to Ermaganbet Bulekbayev, everything possible is being done in the region to improve the business climate and reduce administrative barriers.

– Since the beginning of the year, about 5 thousand small enterprises have been opened, where 5.7 thousand new jobs have been created. Every year, businesses receive budget investments through financial instruments under the national project to support entrepreneurs. Not limited to general support measures, we have launched our own regional program "Entrepreneur". Karaganda region was the first in the republic to halve the retail tax rate – from 4 to 2%. More than 35 thousand entrepreneurs will be able to use this support measure," the head of the region said.

The transfer of public services to an electronic format continues.

To date, 171 services are available online for entrepreneurs.

Director of the Regional Chamber of Entrepreneurs Ernar Kulpeisov reported on the execution of the instructions given by the akim of the region at the last meeting with entrepreneurs. Among them are tariff formation, staffing, estimated cost in construction and others.

The filling of the geoinformation portal with the necessary information is under special control. In the future, the portal will make the process of issuing land plots transparent. Businessmen will be able to see vacant lands, coverage of their communications.

As the head of the entrepreneurship department Dastan Kudabayev said, by the end of the year, state support is planned to cover 5.5 thousand business projects. Employees of his department, together with the Center for Urban Studies, recently visited the Karkaraly district, Balkhash and Priozersk to assess their tourism potential on the spot. Land plots for business have been identified, information about subsidizing the tourism industry has been brought to entrepreneurs.

The meeting also raised issues of fulfillment of contractual obligations of enterprises with state participation, compensation for damage by agricultural producers in case of loss of cultivated land and the cost of meals in secondary schools.