Category: NEWS
Employers have five new obligations towards employees due to the amended law
Employers in Serbia must fully align their operations with the new provisions of the Law on Occupational Health and Safety by Wednesday, 7 May, focused on enhanced employee protection, the introduction of preventive measures, and more effective control of working conditions. Particularly, remote and home-based work is now clearly regulated by the law. Also, the […]
Read moreUkraine launches bold labor overhaul to jumpstart economy
Kyiv is developing an employment strategy to boost Ukraine’s economic growth by reducing unemployment, ensuring job equality, and enhancing market flexibility, the Economy Ministry announced on May 5. Key focuses of the strategy include creating new jobs through small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and social entrepreneurship, providing professional training according to market demands, offering flexible […]
Read moreKazakh VAT rise to 16% Jan 2026 update
4% VAT increase to 16% 2026 proposal; new 10% reduced rate; and lower registration threshold Kazakhstan’s Parliament lower house approved amendments to the Tax Code in a final reading on 30 April 2025. The Senate will now review the tax changes. The amendments to the VAT regime in the Tax Code would apply from 1 […]
Read moreGeorgians May Lose Visa-Free Travel to the European Union
Georgia may soon lose its visa-free travel to the European Union due to the country’s democratic backsliding, triggering widespread domestic and diplomatic reactions. Georgian opposition leaders support maintaining visa-free travel for citizens while urging the European Union to impose direct sanctions on the ruling Georgian Dream leadership, whom they blame for authoritarian reforms and damaging […]
Read moreThe amended law comes into effect on Wednesday: Employers face five new obligations towards employees
Employers in Serbia are required to fully align their operations with the new provisions of the Law on Occupational Health and Safety by Wednesday, 7 May. These changes focus on enhanced employee protection, the introduction of preventive measures, and more effective control of working conditions. Notably, the law now clearly regulates remote and home-based work, […]
Read moreUkraine has a severe labor force shortage, prompting employers to seek help from pensioners.
The personnel shortage is particularly acute in the capital, where there are 75,000 open vacancies, yet only 3,000 registered unemployed individuals, as stated by Yulia Zhovtyak, Director of the State Employment Service. She noted that the situation is similar in other regions; in the Lviv region, there are 5,000 available candidates for 24,000 vacancies. The […]
Read moreKazakhstan to Increase Taxes for High Earners
The Kazakh Ministry of National Economy has submitted a second package of amendments to the tax legislation to parliament, proposing an increase in the individual income tax rate for high earners. The second package was submitted to the Mazhilis (the lower house of the Kazakh parliament) on April 25. One of the key provisions is […]
Read moreAverage net salary for February 103,519 dinars, median 80,732 dinars
The average gross salary in Serbia calculated for February this year amounted to 142,908 dinars, while the average salary without taxes and contributions (net) was 103,519 dinars, the Statistical Office of the Republic of Serbia announced today. The median net salary amounted to 80,732 dinars, meaning that 50 percent of employees earned up to that […]
Read moreAI Took My Job—Or Did It? Rethinking Work, Skill, and Value in the Age of Generative Intelligence
Once upon a time, machines displaced factory workers. Then algorithms came for office clerks. Today, generative AI is reshaping the very core of white-collar professions, from marketing and law to education and design. Is this the long-foretold end of human work—or the beginning of a different kind of labor? As large language models and synthetic […]
Read moreTaxes for high earners will increase in Kazakhstan
A second package of amendments to the tax legislation was proposed by the Kazakh Ministry of National Economy on April 25, including a proposition to increase the individual income tax rate for high earners.
The Ministry of National Economy stated that citizens with lower incomes will pay personal income tax at a lower rate than high-paid workers, without specifying the exact income levels that will be subject to the higher rate. However, Minister Serik Zhumangarin proposed to introduce an increased rate of 15% for employees with annual income exceeding 8,500 monthly calculation indices (MCI).
Currently, they value one MCI in Kazakhstan at 3,932 KZT ($7.64), but there are plans to rise it to 4,129 KZT ($8) by 2026, due to coming into force of the new Tax Code. These figures let calculate the threshold for the increased personal income tax rate starting at 35 million KZT per year (approximately $68,000) or 2.9 million KZT per month ($5,600) in 2026.
Nevertheless, they will tax at the increased 15% rate only the portion exceeding the 2.9 million KZT threshold. The tax rate for the income up to that threshold will remain standard (10%).
With the introduction of a progressive scale, the Ministry of National Economy hopes to increase tax revenues by 70 billion KZT per year (approximately $13.5 million).
Additionally, optimizing deductions for medical, education, and social contributions were also proposed by the ministry. They will introduce a single basic deduction of 30 MCI per month instead of the current deduction of 14 MCI and eliminate all additional deductions in order to simplify accounting procedures and reduce the administrative burden for individuals and employers.
Currently, a portion of employees’ salary equivalent to 14 MCI, or about 55,000 KZT ($106), can be exempted from taxation, upon request. The proposed changes, starting in 2026, will change this amount to 123,800 KZT ($239) per month.
There was also a proposition to strengthen liability for violations related to compulsory social and health insurance and the use of special tax regimes. Totally, 71 amendments to the draft new Tax Code and related legislation have been proposed by the government, along with 67 amendments to the current Tax Code.
According to the previous report of the Times of Central Asia, the Mazhilis (the lower house of the Kazakh parliament) approved the draft of the new Tax Code in its first reading in early April. However, debates about the proposed reforms continue, as well as criticism from deputies, experts, and entrepreneurs.
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