Head of State Kassym-Jomart Tokayev took part in the award ceremony for the winners of the Altyn Sapa and Paryz awards.
"PARYZ":
The Grand Prix among small and medium-sized businesses was awarded to Abai Daulet LLP from the Kyzylorda region.
The Grand Prix among large businesses was awarded to Bakyrchik Mining Enterprise LLP from the Abay region.
"ALTYN SAPA":
The winner in the category “Best Industrial Project” was “DEP” LLP from Kostanay region.
Cleanfield Kazakhstan LLP from the Mangistau region won the “Best Innovative Project” nomination.
The awards were presented to the laureates personally by the head of state.
By the Kazakhstanskaya Pravda
Kassym-Jomart Tokayev spoke at the award ceremony for the winners of the Altyn Sapa and Paryz awards.
The head of state congratulated the participants in the solemn ceremony of awarding the winners of the “Altyn Sapa”, “Paryz” and “Best Product of Kazakhstan” competitions - entrepreneurs who made a special contribution to the development of the country.
“Now the business sector is developing dynamically in Kazakhstan. For this, the state creates all conditions. The share of small and medium-sized businesses exceeded 36 percent of gross domestic product. This is a really high figure. The number of people working in this area has reached 4.3 million, representing 45 percent of the country's working population. Work on industrialization has been carried out at a high pace in recent years. Last year, manufacturing exports exceeded $26 billion. This is a record figure. Last year, 1.5 trillion tenge of investments were attracted to this industry,” the president said.
The head of state believes that the country's economy should be based on the principle of justice; in this regard, he drew attention to a number of important issues.
“In my recent Address, I set an ambitious goal to double the volume of the national economy by 2029 – to $450 billion. This task is not the fruit of empty fantasies, but a carefully calculated plan of action. To solve this problem, it is necessary to launch a new investment cycle, which will become an important element of the economic growth of our country. Last week I signed a decree on measures to improve the efficiency of efforts to attract investment. Now the activities of the Investment Headquarters will be aimed at the timely and unhindered implementation of projects. The headquarters received the right to develop temporary regulatory legal acts that have the force of law,” said Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.
In his opinion, this step should help improve the investment climate in the country.
“In general, the main principle in attracting investments should be the principle of “zero bureaucracy - maximum concrete actions.” The government apparatus is required to constantly focus on the final results,” the president believes.
In his speech, the head of state noted that, in accordance with his instructions, investors investing in the manufacturing sector will be exempt from paying taxes for three years starting next year. He believes that these systemic measures are unprecedented and decisive, otherwise, in the conditions of fierce international competition for investments, it will be difficult for Kazakhstan to achieve its goals.
“As you know, I was previously instructed to protect domestic business from unfounded inspections and illegal criminal prosecution. As a result of the measures taken, the number of registered criminal cases in the field of business decreased by half (from 837 to 402). The number of criminal proceedings terminated on rehabilitative grounds decreased almost fivefold (from 416 to 92). Particular attention is paid to service support of investment projects by the prosecutor's office. A system of supporting investment projects based on the “green corridor” principle will be introduced. This will make it easier and faster for investors to obtain permits, simplify the issuance of land plots and the installation of communications for them,” said Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.
The speech further said that the state is making every effort to ensure fair and transparent rules of the game for business.
The President also focused on another extremely important topic – the creation of an artificial intelligence system in our country. He believes that the future of Kazakhstan and its place in the international community depend on the success of this work. Therefore, the Head of State assured that he would personally supervise this area, hold meetings with foreign and domestic specialists, and monitor the implementation of assigned tasks.
The leader of Kazakhstan also considers it necessary to continue the process of industrialization in the country. A number of specific measures are already in place in this direction; a special law “On Industrial Policy” has been adopted. It is extremely important to provide processing enterprises with cheap raw materials. Starting next year, large producers of raw materials will be required to meet the needs of the domestic market. At the same time, they will be able to export raw materials only if they fully meet the demand of domestic processing enterprises.
“The development of rural areas is the development of the whole country, the whole of Kazakhstan. Therefore, this year we started implementing the “Auyl Amanaty” project. 100 billion tenge will be allocated for microloans for rural residents. This will create over 18 thousand new jobs. Next year, the Unified Comprehensive Program for the Support and Development of Small and Medium Businesses will be launched. Thus, the state will provide support to entrepreneurs with high production potential who produce products for export,” said the head of Kazakhstan.
According to the President, the government and the business community have done a lot of joint work to identify excessive requirements that impede the development of entrepreneurship.
According to him, more than 10 thousand standards do not meet the basic conditions of the new regulatory policy. To date, 90% of them have been eliminated, the remaining will be eliminated by the end of the year. An important tool for limiting the pressure of regulatory authorities on business will be an automated risk management system, which will be launched on January 1, 2024 and will allow the appointment of contactless inspections. As a result, scheduled business inspections will be halved and the number of fines will be significantly reduced.
Also, a systemic reset of relations between business and the state will be facilitated by the new Tax Code currently being developed.
“In particular, it lays out the transition of fiscal authorities to a service model of administration. It is planned to reduce tax reporting for business entities by 30%. The number of tax payments will be optimized by at least 20%. Calculations and declarations for vehicle tax, as well as calculations for land tax and property are canceled if the amount of tax liabilities is less than one million tenge. Blocking the bank accounts of entrepreneurs will only be allowed for funds equal to their tax debt. Along with maintaining existing business development incentives, additional support measures will be taken. I am confident that a clear and predictable tax policy will give a powerful impetus to economic growth,” the president believes.
Kassym-Jomart Tokayev stated the importance of taking into account the critical challenges and fundamental changes facing all of humanity.
“Geopolitical contradictions and rivalry between states are intensifying. In such an unstable period, we must act in accordance with our strategic guidelines. Undoubtedly, carefully planned and properly implemented plans will sooner or later bear fruit. For example, in recent years we have been paying special attention to the education sector. Thanks to clear decisions and measures taken, the status of the teacher has increased. To eliminate the shortage of places in schools, a special program is being implemented,” said the head of our state.
Thanks to the large-scale work done, Kazakhstanis have witnessed the opening of about a hundred educational facilities this year. Moreover, according to the international PISA ranking, the quality of secondary education in Kazakhstan has significantly improved.
“Recently, the population of Kazakhstan reached 20 million. This is a historical milestone that has inspired the entire country. There is no doubt that an increase in population will give an additional impetus to the development of our state and elevate its status. Therefore, our main goal is to do everything possible to improve the quality of life of citizens. Last year, the average life expectancy in the country reached 74.4 years. This means that along with the quality of medical services, the well-being of citizens is also growing,” the president said.
Kassym-Jomart Tokayev noted that work is underway in the regions to attract investment. This year alone, 91 investment projects worth 376 billion tenge have been implemented throughout the country, thanks to which over 6 thousand permanent jobs have been created. He emphasized that the creation of additional permanent jobs is a national task, since we are talking about employment of the population, about moving away from the dependent psychology in society.
The President highly appreciated the fact that Kazakhstan is becoming attractive to global and regional industrial giants. As an example, he cited the launch of the construction of a full-cycle plant for the production of Kia cars.
“The other day, on my instructions, the issue of transferring the Karaganda Metallurgical Plant into the ownership of a Kazakh company was successfully resolved. Now the Government’s task is to assist it at the initial stage of work, and then the demand from the new owner will be very strict. A series of accidents at critical infrastructure facilities in different regions clearly highlighted the urgent need to modernize engineering and energy infrastructure throughout the country. This problem has been ignored and unsolved for decades. In a short period of time, the state conducted an audit and began systematic work to launch new and repair existing generating capacities, update heating networks and other utilities. In particular, this year a large-scale project was implemented, which more than doubled the capacity of electrical networks in the west of our country,” he noted.
Particular attention in the speech was paid to the prospects of the digital industry. As the Head of State recalled, Kazakhstan occupies a leading position in the world in the e-government and fintech development index.
“The IT sector is developing dynamically in the country, which is expanding its share in the economies of advanced countries every year. Last year, exports of the domestic IT industry grew fivefold. I have set a goal to increase its volume to one billion dollars by 2026. We focus on further digitalization of all areas of the economy: from large industrial production to small service projects. But under no circumstances should we relax or rest on successes. Our country must establish itself as a center of gravity for global digital technologies. Kazakhstan can and should become a haven for the offices of the largest international IT companies,” the president said.
At a meeting with the participants of the ceremony, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said that it is time for Kazakhstan to become a nation that not only learns and consumes, but can teach others and produce.
“The “made in Kazakhstan” brand should become a symbol of the highest quality, a symbol of the best products. This is the main goal of the Altyn Sapa competition. At the same time, business representatives must be deeply aware of their responsibility to the population. An honest citizen – “Adal azamat” – thinks not only about his own well-being. He also cares about his native land in which he works. It is precisely such entrepreneurs who should receive support and recognition from society. Indeed, this is the most noble mission - serving your country. This year, participants in the Paryz competition took an active part in various social projects. About 80 billion tenge were donated for charitable purposes. More than 6 thousand new jobs have been created. Our citizens who share their income with their country deserve the deepest respect,” the president believes.
At the end of the event, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev expressed gratitude to all entrepreneurs who participated in the “Altyn Sapa” and “Paryz” competitions and presented awards to the laureates .
By the Kazakhstanskaya Pravda
