The country has strengthened responsibility in the field of trade and consumer protection. Amendments and additions have been made to the Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan on Administrative Offenses (COA). The updated law signed by the President was published on January 10, 2025, and officially published on January 11. What has changed in the law? What is its significance? Galymzhan Ilyasov, Deputy Head of the Department of Trade and Consumer Protection for Astana, explained this at a briefing in the Communications Service, the official website of the capital's akimat reports.
The document will enter into force 60 days after its official publication, that is, on March 12.
“In recent years, the country's retail market has been developing rapidly and competition has intensified. This has led to an increase in consumer complaints about unfair trade practices. As part of the new changes, fines for false advertising, consumer deception, violation of trade rules, and illegal actions related to pricing policy will be significantly increased.
Now the requirements for entrepreneurs have been tightened. Responsibility for false advertising will be strengthened. According to the updated law, fines for false advertising will increase significantly: for individuals - 100 MCI, for small businesses - 350 MCI, for medium-sized businesses - 500 MCI, for large entrepreneurs - 1,000 MCI. For example, given that in 2025 1 MCI will be 3,692 tenge, the amount of the fine for large businesses may reach 3.69 million tenge. This change was introduced in order to prevent consumers from being deceived. Strengthening control over advertising content will increase the responsibility of businesses,” says Galymzhan Ilyasov.
In his speech, he mentioned that hidden payments and price differences will not be allowed.
“The requirements for displaying prices for retail outlets will also be tightened. Now entrepreneurs must necessarily display the price of goods only in tenge and should not artificially increase the cost of goods at the checkout. The fines for violating the rules have been set: for small businesses - 6 MCI, for medium-sized businesses - 10 MCI, for large businesses - 30 MCI. If the same violation is committed for the second time within a year, the fine will increase sharply: for small businesses - 65 MCI, for medium-sized businesses - 120 MCI, for large businesses - 200 MCI.
In addition, new fines have been introduced for deceiving the consumer, incorrect measurement, underselling or overcharging: for individuals - 10 MCI, for small businesses - 20 MCI, for medium-sized businesses - 30 MCI, for large businesses - 50 MCI (184,600 tenge). These measures are aimed at preventing unfair trade practices in the trade sector and protecting consumer rights, - says the speaker.
According to Galymzhan Ilyasov, such violations are most often found in markets and small shops. The new fines will help discipline entrepreneurs and reduce consumer complaints.
"The adopted amendments are aimed at creating an open and fair business environment. The tightening of fines will reduce cases of consumer fraud, increase business confidence, and ensure fair competition in the market," says the deputy head of the Department of Trade and Consumer Rights Protection for Astana.

Source : https://www.gov.kz/memleket/entities/astana/press/news/details/926824