Increased control of trade surcharges

As part of the execution of the order of the Head of State to stabilize prices for socially important food products in Kazakhstan, comprehensive measures are being carried out to ensure that trade entities comply with the maximum permissible trade allowances.

Special monitoring groups have been formed in the regions from representatives of akimats, the Trade Committee, the State Revenue Committee, the Agency for the Protection and Development of Competition, the Financial Monitoring Agency, public associations, etc.

Over the past 3 weeks, 87% of stores "at home", as well as 122 wholesale and retail markets in cities and districts of the republic have been monitored. During the last week alone, 259 violations of compliance with the trade allowance for NWPT were detected in retail trade (stores "at home") as part of preventive control. After the clarifications, business entities independently reduced their trade allowances for socially significant food products to 4-15%.

Work is also underway to analyze and control intermediary schemes throughout the pricing chain, not only for socially important food products, but also for other products.

Thus, within the framework of the project of mandatory use of electronic invoices by subjects of trading activities (trade in food products), operational monitoring of pricing for foodstuffs from the manufacturer (importer) to the trading shelf will be provided. This will eliminate price speculation and will enable the authorized bodies to monitor compliance by businesses with the maximum trading allowance.

This work is especially relevant during the off-season, when there is a significant difference between the prices of domestic producers, importers of agricultural food products and retail.

For example, currently the price of tomatoes varies in different retail outlets. This is due, among other things, to the difference in selling prices between producers and importers.

So, in particular, the selling wholesale price of Kazakhstani farmers of Turkestan, Zhambyl, Almaty regions is 600-680 tenge to 800 tenge per kilogram (depending on the variety). In retail chains, Kazakhstani tomatoes are sold from 1000 to 1200 tenge per kilogram. At the same time, the wholesale price of imported tomatoes (Uzbekistan) is 1400, and in retail chains their average cost is 1900.