Pinduoduo and Anthropic paid Kazakhstan 8 billion tenge in taxes
China's Pinduoduo and the US-based Anthropic, the developer of Claude, transferred about 8 billion tenge to Kazakhstan's budget. The CSR is stepping up control over foreign digital platforms and has restricted access to Farfetch.
China's Pinduoduo and the US-based Anthropic transferred about 8 billion tenge (approximately 17.7 million dollars) to Kazakhstan's budget following tax administration proceedings. This was reported by the country's Committee of State Revenues (CSR).
How were the payments distributed?
The Chinese marketplace Pinduoduo paid 6.8 billion tenge — about 15.1 million dollars. Anthropic, the American developer of the Claude AI assistant, transferred 1.2 billion tenge, or 2.6 million dollars.
The CSR clarified: “The payment relates to previous tax periods and was made after the companies complied with notices issued following desk audits.” A desk audit is a review of reporting conducted without visiting the taxpayer, based solely on submitted documents. The regulator effectively recalculated the companies' liabilities for past years and assessed additional taxes.
Takeaway: The CSR applies a retrospective approach — it reviews payments by foreign platforms for tax periods that have already expired.
Why did the payments arrive now?
Kazakhstan is consistently expanding tax administration of foreign digital platforms. Earlier, the CSR held talks with Pinduoduo and other major marketplaces in three areas: taxation of e-commerce, data exchange, and transparency of cross-border operations.
In parallel, an enforcement mechanism operates in the country. If a foreign platform fails to comply with legal requirements, access to its website within Kazakhstan is restricted on the basis of an unfulfilled notice. Kazakhstan's model combines negotiations with a readiness to completely block a non-compliant platform at the level of telecom operators.
Takeaway: tax administration relies on the combination of “documents — negotiations — access blocking.”
What does the Farfetch case show?
Farfetch, a British platform selling clothing and accessories from well-known brands, failed to comply with the CSR's requirements. The agency sent the operator a desk audit notice. After that, access to the resource was restricted in Kazakhstan.
The CSR did not provide specific timelines or dates for the blocking. The case itself demonstrates the regulator's readiness to apply the ultimate lever against platforms that systematically ignore notices from the country's tax authorities.
Takeaway: blocking works as an extreme measure against platforms that refuse dialogue with the CSR.
How many platforms will fall under the new rules?
According to the agency, 116 foreign platforms have registered conditionally in Kazakhstan. Starting in 2026, updated requirements under the new Tax Code will take effect for them: a 16% VAT rate and additional rules on data exchange with tax authorities.
Previously, conditional registration was applied without a strict link to VAT, but from 2026 the requirements will cover all major categories of cross-border e-commerce. The number of platforms obligated to pay taxes in Kazakhstan is effectively growing.
Takeaway: from 2026, the tax regime for foreign online platforms in Kazakhstan is tightening across all key parameters.
The Committee emphasized: “The same measures apply to all foreign internet platforms that operate in the Kazakh market and fall under the corresponding tax requirements.”
Original: gov.kz
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