OREANDA-NEWS. September 24, 2009. In a record year for regulatory reform worldwide, Kazakhstan improved its ranking on the overall ease of doing business, according to Doing Business 2010: Reforming through Difficult Times. The report, presented in Astana, showed Kazakhstan moving up to 63 in the global rankings of 183 economies.

Kazakhstan reformed procedures in three critical areas for businesses. It made dealing with construction permits easier, including by tightening time limits for building permits. It eased the tax burden on companies. And it made business start-up easier by simplifying requirements.

“Recognizing the importance of firms—especially small and medium-size enterprises—for creating jobs and revenue, Kazakhstan has significantly increased the pace of regulatory reform this year,” said Svetlana Bagaudinova, an author of the report.

Room for improvement remains in key areas, however, such as in trading across borders (where Kazakhstan ranks 182) and in dealing with construction permits (143).

“Reforms are not a one-off exercise and need to be part of a medium-term reform plan. We are glad to recognize that the Government of Kazakhstan has already set an ambitious reform program for the next year, and the World Bank and other donors are committed to supporting it. The final goal of all these efforts is that Kazakhstan businesses enjoy a more favorable business environment,” said Sergey Shatalov, World Bank Country Manager for Kazakhstan.

Globally, a record 131 of the 183 economies surveyed reformed business regulation between June 2008 and May 2009, according to the report, the seventh in a series of annual reports published by IFC and the World Bank. Five of the top 10 reformers are in Eastern Europe and Central Asia—the Kyrgyz Republic, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Belarus, Moldova, and Tajikistan.

Doing Business analyzes regulations that apply to an economy’s businesses during their life cycle, including start-up and operations, trading across borders, paying taxes, and closing a business. Doing Business does not measure all aspects of the business environment that matter to firms and investors. For example, it does not measure security, macroeconomic stability, corruption, skill level, or the strength of financial systems.