Ministry of National Economy refuses to keep 12% VAT on agricultural leases signed before 2026

Acting Minister of National Economy Azamat Amrin responded to an inquiry from MPs of the Ädilet and Auyl parties. The ministry sees no grounds to keep 12% VAT on financial lease agreements signed before January 1, 2026. From that date, under the new Tax Code, the standard rate is 16%. The rate depends on the date of turnover, not the date of the agreement. For leasing, the date of turnover is the due date of each scheduled payment.

The Ministry of National Economy says the payment will not rise by 33%. With a taxable value of 100 thousand tenge, the amount including VAT increases from 112 to 116 thousand, or by 3.57%. Lease interest is not included in taxable turnover. The MPs estimated additional payments under KazAgroFinance JSC agreements at 4.6 billion tenge. This affects 13,181 farms, or about 349 thousand tenge each on average.

The ministry pointed to existing support measures. Since 2026, the share of VAT eligible for offset for agricultural producers, processors and cooperatives has increased from 70% to 80%. The special tax regime for peasant and farm households has been retained. As of August 2026, 6,974 lease agreements worth 265 billion tenge had been signed.

Penalties and payment schedules are governed by the lease agreement. According to the Ministry of National Economy, these issues can be resolved individually, including through restructuring.