According to him, legal manufacturers and official distributors express dissatisfaction with the growth of the shadow market, which essentially threatens not only the economy but also public health. "This situation is not an isolated violation; it reflects the existence of a deeply rooted shadow system. This leads to a decrease in budget revenues and violates the principles of fair competition," he noted.
Zhaiymbetov emphasized that, according to the Ministry of Justice, the volume of seized counterfeit goods in 2025 significantly increased, rising tenfold compared to the previous year. However, he pointed out that this data does not fully reflect the true scale of shadow trade, and the actual volume may be much higher.
As examples, the deputy cited cases of the sale of counterfeit Colgate-Palmolive toothpaste and Bonduelle canned vegetables with packaging that does not meet official standards. In addition, there have been instances of trading in building materials, alcohol, and dry yeast without the necessary documents and labeling.
Many of these goods are imported through gray schemes, bypassing customs and tax checks.
To combat this problem, Zhaiymbetov put forward several initiatives:
- conduct a comprehensive analysis of the volume of counterfeit and illegally imported products over the past five years at the state level and across various agencies, as well as create a unified database by product categories and sales channels;
- develop a state digital platform and mobile application based on international experience that allows for verifying the authenticity of goods through scanning a unique code;
- explore the possibility of selling certain categories of goods exclusively through official distributors with active contracts with manufacturers and confirmed supply channels;
- propose measures to tighten criminal and financial liability for the production, import, and sale of counterfeit products.
