25 foreign companies form a third of all taxes in Kazakhstan

Tax revenues to the state budget in 2021 increased by 25.35% and amounted to 10.72 trillion tenge against 8.56 trillion in 2020. At the same time, the top 25 foreign private companies accounted for more than 3.9 trillion tenge, which amounted to about 36% of all tax revenues. In 2020, their share was 28%.

In general, the cumulative increase in tax payments of the top 25 foreign companies in 2021 amounted to 60.6% against the 2020 figure of 2.45 trillion tenge.

Traditionally, the oil sector remains the leader in payments here. In 2021, the average price of Brent oil rose to $71 per barrel, up 69% from $42 per barrel in 2020. At the same time, payments from oil companies from the top 25 amounted to 2.87 trillion tenge, or 73.4% of the total, which is 77.2% more than 1.62 trillion tenge in the previous year.

The oil giant Tengizchevroil LLP retains its leadership in the ranking with payments of 1.7 trillion tenge, which is 70.4% more than 999.22 billion tenge in 2020. Karachaganak Petroleum Operating also held its second place, having paid 758.5 ​​billion tenge, which is 77.6% more than 427 billion tenge a year earlier.

The mining and metallurgical complex in the top 25, like last year, was represented by six companies. The total amount of taxes they paid in 2021 amounted to about 483 billion tenge, which is 44% more than 335.5 billion tenge in 2020. Kazzinc LLP remains the leader among mining companies and third in the overall ranking with payments of 168.6 billion tenge. Next comes ArcelorMittal Temirtau JSC – 146.8 billion tenge.

There are representatives of the trade sector in the ranking. Thus, Toyota Motor Kazakhstan paid 60.6 billion tenge against 35.3 billion a year earlier, Samsung Electronics Central Eurasia – 39.3 billion tenge against 33.9 billion.

Representatives of the construction industry – participants in the top 25 in 2021 paid more than 59 billion tenge to the budget, food industry players – more than 55 billion tenge, telecommunications KaR-Tel LLP – over 43 billion.

It is interesting that every year the number of representatives of oilfield service companies in the ranking of the largest foreign taxpayers became less and less, and this year they were not included in the list at all after the departure of the Kazakhstani branches of Schlumberger and Fluor Corporation. In 2021, their payments amounted to 17.4 billion and 11 billion tenge, respectively, which is 20.8 and 36.8% less than in 2020.

In total, in comparison with last year’s ranking, five participants have changed in the top 25, that is, 20%. Among the newcomers, again, there are two representatives of the MMC – Bakyrchik Mining Enterprise LLP, which belongs to the Polymetal International Plc group and paid 53.2 billion tenge of taxes to the state budget, as well as Aktobe Copper Company LLP, which is part of the Russian Copper Company group, – 24.8 billion tenge deductions.

Two newcomers were “delegated” by the construction industry. One of them is Senimdi Kurylys LLP, a joint venture between the American company Bechtel and the Turkish ENKA Insaat ve Sanayi AS, with payments of 37.5 billion tenge. The second is a branch of Consolidated Contracting Engineering & Procurement S.A.L. – Offshore”, a subsidiary of the Lebanese group Consolidated Contractors Company, with payments of 21.8 billion tenge.

Another newcomer to the list is the oil JSC Kozhan, which paid the state 23.4 billion tenge.

Geographically, the main offices or representative offices of six companies from the list are located in Atyrau region (24%), five – in Almaty (20%), four – in West Kazakhstan region (16%), two each – in Almaty, Aktobe regions, East Kazakhstan region and Astana (8 %). One company each is based in Akmola and Karaganda regions (4%).

Methodology

The ranking includes non-state foreign companies operating in Kazakhstan, in whose capital foreign citizens own at least 50% of the share. Information on tax payments was obtained from open data of the State Revenue Committee of the Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Kazakhstan based on the results of 2021.