Astana: Exporters in Kazakhstan will soon benefit from a simplified value-added tax (VAT) refund process starting in 2026, marking a significant shift in the country's tax refund policy. The State Revenue Committee of the Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Kazakhstan, as reported by Trend, announced this development, indicating that excess VAT payments will be refunded without audits in an accelerated manner.

According to Trend News Agency, the new tax code will introduce an expedited VAT refund process applicable to all exporters. Notable changes under this new system include a dramatic increase in the number of exporters eligible for the simplified refund process, which will expand more than 20 times. Refunds without audits will be processed within 15 working days, while the timeframe for refunds involving audits will be reduced from 75 to 55 days. Additionally, the start date for calculating the refund period will be moved one month earlier.

Currently, the streamlined VAT reclamation mechanism is available only to substantial taxpayers, manufacturing entities, and exporters of raw materials who convert their foreign currency revenues into tenge. The reimbursement threshold for VAT refunds varies between 50 percent and 80 percent, depending on the classification of the taxpayer entity.