BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 20. Discussions over the introduction of an excise tax on sweetened drinks are underway at the Government level, Kazakhstan’s Deputy Prime Minister - Finance Minister Yerulan Zhamaubayev told reporters on the sidelines of the Senate’s plenary session, Trend reports via the Kazakh media.
According to Zhamaubayev, in this issue health of the population and the activities of small and medium businesses must be taken into account.
"As soon as we find a compromise on the rate and the need [for the introduction of the tax], we’ll definitely inform you about this and come to the Parliament," the minister noted.
“We must consider and calculate everything. It’s important for us to keep a balance. We need to take into account the health of the nation, which is important for us,” he also noted answering the question about how much the prices for drinks can grow following the tax introduction.
“At the same time, enterprises mustn’t be affected, because the issue is mainly addressed by small and medium-sized businesses, which will pay supertaxes at the expense of the taxes [for sweetened drinks]. On the other hand, these are the interests of the budget. We’ll balance all the points,” added the minister
Earlier, Zhamaubayev explained that excise is an indirect type of tax, and its share doesn’t exceed 5 percent of the state budget.
According to him, by 2024, the excise tax for 1,000 cigarettes will increase up to 35 euros in tenge.