Saturday, June 06, 2015
Kabul (BNA) Right collection of government revenues in the first five months of 1394 fiscal year than the targeted goal shows a 5 percent increase.
MoF Eklil Hakimi who was addressing the lower house, said “Precision in taxes collection for self-sufficiency purpose in payment of expenses has caused this increase. We planned to collect Afs 42.32 million on the first five months of 1394 fiscal year, and if we compare to the first five months of the last year, it shows 7 percent increase. This revenue have been collected from custom houses, provincial accountant offices, ministries and three other categories of big, middle and small tax payers.
He added removal of installments from big tax payers, restriction in collection of craftsmen taxes, transparency in transaction of revenue creating ministries and reforms in custom houses and provincial accountant offices are the reasons that according to Minister Hakimi have caused increase of revenues.
Talking on reforms of custom houses, Hakimi said, “We prevent exchange of physical money in custom houses and in some customs this has already been started as an example and the tax payers pay their taxes through an electronic machine to the government accounts that has restricted the abusing opportunities.
Hakimi went on to say, Afghanistan custom system has been directly connected to Tajikistan custom system. Whenever the merchandizes are loaded in Tajikistan, all recorded information is immediately sent to Afghanistan prior to arrival of trucks to Afghanistan customs and taxes are calculated accordingly.
According to Hakimi, the trucks vehicles and that depart to other countries in transit form, are followed through special technology of MoF.
He added, “The MoF has undertaken a reform program that i would like to share it with house and I believe that in case if its implementation the government revenues will be increased.
Mentioning precision in collecting of craftsmen taxes, Hakimi said, “For two months the officials of the MoF worked in district seventh. Before there were 789 guilds while today there are over 3457 guilds. The previous taxes were calculated Afs 14.2 million per year. But today we collect Afs 19.4 million. The situation is similar on other districts”.
A number of experts said that the new tax paying system can prevent corruption and cause the tax payers to be in transparent connection with the MoF. But the MoF should install and use these machines in customs permanently not temporarily.
They asked the MoF to eliminate corruption on customs because taxes are property of Afghan people and should not be misappropriated.
Shukria Kohistani
