SHIBERGHAN: The revenue of northern Jawzjan province has surged by more than 50 million afghanis this year, but taxpayers complainof rising duties.
Jawzjan’s revenue target fixed by the Ministry of Finance was 219 million afs, but the provincial authorities collected more than 270 million afs in 2015, the revenue director said.
Mohammad Rassoul Anwari told Pajhwok Afghan News the income of his department was over 219 million afs in 2014 when Jawzjan failed to achieve the target of over 260 million afs.
Most of the revenue was collected from transport services, passports, telecommunication companies, court fines, prosecution department, agriculture, fuel and gas, shops, business and construction companies.
A shopkeeper in Shiberghan, Zaidullah, recalled that in 2014 they had paid 1,750 afs in annual tax, but last year the tax was increased to 2,500 afs.
It was good for the government to raise taxes and thereby boost its revenue, but the hike was not affordable for ordinary shopkeepers, whose business was not that stable, he observed.
According to Anwari, the tax was imposed in accordance with rules and regulations of the Ministry of Finance.