Member of Parliament Askhat Aimagambetov spoke about Kazakhstan’s budget, reports the “Adyrna” national portal, citing Dalanews.kz.
According to the news agency, broad powers granted to the government and the Ministry of Finance for budget spending lack clear accountability, specific rules, and requirements, leading to inefficient and unplanned spending. “As a result, the initially approved budget and its goals undergo fundamental changes, with significant issues often decided only within government offices. This negatively impacts the efficiency of the budget and the country’s financial stability,” he stated.
The deputy also addressed the reallocation of funds, noting that specific rules and regulations governing this process are missing. The new Budget Code draft proposes consolidating programs and granting even greater autonomy to ministries. However, without clear accountability, specific goals, skilled personnel, and an effective state planning system, this autonomy could be risky. “Introducing an external block structure without changing internal implementation and control mechanisms is unlikely to solve the issue and may even worsen it. If this continues, Parliament might eventually approve only a total amount for each ministry, allowing them to allocate internal funds as they see fit, which would undermine the budget approval process,” he added.
He also highlighted the lack of clear guidelines regarding the National Fund. “Although the guaranteed transfers from the National Fund are meant to limit government spending, in practice, the government can exploit weaknesses in these requirements to easily draw funds for various financial needs. The National Fund, which should be preserved as a legacy for future generations, is now primarily used to cover budget deficits and address inefficiencies,” he said.
Aimagambetov noted that the new Budget Code draft does not address the pressing issues of the budget system. “Unfortunately, the new Budget Code draft retains previous flaws and has not resolved systemic issues in the budget system. Currently, proposed amendments in these and other areas are under heated discussion. However, many reasonable provisions are not being supported in the government’s conclusions,” he concluded.
