Finance ministry reports 37% rise in revenues

The Finance Ministry of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) announced Sunday it had collected around 194 billion Afghanis in the last solar year, 1401, which shows an increase of 37 percent compared to the year 1400.

Meraj Mohammad Meraj, deputy director of revenues department of the Ministry of Finance said in a press conference that revenues in the year 1400 was 141.8 billion Afghanis but in 1401, it stood at 194.4 billion Afghanis.

Officials in this ministry also said that the draft budget for 1401 is expected to be approved by the leader of the Islamic Emirate within a week. In the budget of the current fiscal year, 150 development projects have also been included.

Exemption from tax penalties, extension of working hours in customs from 16 to 24 hours, the fight against corruption, electronic revenue collection, installation of digital scales in customs, increase in transit through Afghanistan are among the other achievements officials highlighted.

“Last year, we promised that we would serve the Islamic system and the people. Now we also say that your assets are really spent. There will be no corruption. We will eliminate corruption,” Abdul Mateen Saeed, General Director of Customs of the Ministry of Finance, said.

Ahmad Wali Haqmal, the spokesman of the Ministry of Finance, said: “Last year was a very good year from the financial point of view. The Ministry of Finance with an aim to strengthen the economic pillars of the country, injected 8 to 10 billion Afghanis to the markets every month through salaries etc.”

According to the officials, during the last year, the total value of exports was more than 170 billion Afghanis and imports were more than 599 billion Afghanis. They added that there has been 50 to 70 percent reduction in customs duties on 326 items of basic and food materials.