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Tengrinews.kz - Mazhilis deputy Yekaterina Smyshlyayeva proposed to introduce a limit on the import of smartphones into the country: no more than two devices per year for personal use. If exceeded, they will need to be declared, and unaccounted devices will be blocked in the operator's network.
On February 11, information appeared that Kazakhstan updated the rules for registering mobile devices. According to the order of the Ministry of Digital Development, Innovation and Aerospace Industry, white, gray and black lists for registering subscriber devices of cellular communications will be introduced from March 24.
Now the cellular operator checks for a match between the identification code of the subscriber device and the subscriber number with the already registered data of another owner, as well as the presence of information in the databases confirming the legality of its use in the cellular networks of the republic. The operator is obliged to notify the owners of the status of their devices, and if they are included in the gray list, about the need to confirm the legality of using the smartphone. If verification is not completed within the specified period, the device is automatically blacklisted and access to the mobile network is blocked.
On February 12, Mazhilis deputy Yekaterina Smyshlyayeva voiced a request on the same topic. The request states that in 2024, the share of mobile devices imported into our country illegally or through "gray" schemes amounted to 64% of the entire market. Thus, the state lost about 100 billion tenge in value added tax alone.
"Devices are imported into the country without customs clearance or cheap fakes are sold instead of originals. Gadgets can be imported officially, but the price is understated in the documents, expensive flagship smartphones are registered as budget models. Fraudsters copy the unique number of the official device and assign it to the contraband phone so that it looks legal. There can be up to 5-6 illegal devices per code. Sometimes codes "outlive" their original devices for many years. You can often hear stories that when checking a new phone by code, it turns out that it was made 10 years ago. When crossing the border, they use other people's or fake passports to bring in more phones without paying taxes," the deputy said.
In addition, according to Yekaterina Smyshlyayeva, recently there have been more frequent cases where companies first pay taxes, but then allegedly export the goods back abroad and return the money paid. However, in reality, the gadgets remain inside the country and are sold illegally.
"In January, the Ministry of Digital Development took the first steps to restore order in this area. An order was signed regulating the registration of subscriber devices by IMEI with a link to the user's IIN/BIN, blocking unregistered devices and registration deadlines for the initial connection. However, regulation at the level of an industry order is a half-measure. Without a strict legislative link to customs registration, this mechanism complicates life only for the end consumer, while illegal importers continue to remain unpunished. In particular, the order cannot regulate the reconciliation of IMEI with customs data. There is no procedure for determining the difference between legal devices and illegal ones, and the secondary market and re-export schemes are not taken into account," the Mazhilis member added.
In connection with the above, Smyshlyayeva proposed to ensure the integration of IMEI with customs data to verify the legality of import and payment of taxes, as well as to ensure automatic reconciliation of IMEI with the customs register of intellectual property objects.
"It is necessary to create a 'white list' of imported devices that have officially passed customs procedures and make it available to every consumer to check the device upon purchase. Introduce limits, for example, no more than two devices per year, and mandatory declaration when exceeding the established norms for importing devices for personal use. Only after ensuring automatic verification of devices, block illegal phones in the operator's network on a regular basis. At the same time, devices imported into the country before the rules were issued must be legalized before the end of their service life and naturally withdrawn from circulation. After all, citizens purchased them without the opportunity to check their originality. The proposed measures will reduce illegal imports, protect consumers and restore fair taxation of importers," suggested Yekaterina Smyshlyayeva.
Earlier, Kazakhstan has updated the rules for registering mobile devices.
