Kazakhstan’s Government Considers Cutting Benefits

On October 14, Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov said the government is readying a social security reform that will eliminate a number of benefits for “well-off” citizens. Speaking at the Kurultai, Kazakhstan’s parliament, he said the measures will save 700 billion tenge ($1.6 billion) in 2027 alone.

Bektenov said that rich and affluent people who can support themselves “should not receive assistance from the government; they should rely on their own resources.” The reform is part of the ongoing parliamentary process to approve the budget for the next three years, with about 2.5 trillion tenge ($5.6 billion) expected to be saved, mostly by slashing benefits based on declared income.

The budget has routinely missed its tax revenue target, with last year’s gap at 335 billion tenge ($750 million). Since January 2026, value added tax has risen from 12% to 16%. Meanwhile, the budget has increasingly relied on National Fund transfers, which totaled 5.25 trillion tenge ($11.8 billion) in 2025.