Wednesday August 23, 2017
Kabul (BNA) Presided over by President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani, the high economic council session was held Monday evening at presidential palace.
In the session, short and long-term plan related to collecting transportation and municipalities’ taxes through one address in capital and provinces as well as execution report of Asan-Khedmat authority and plan for issuing electronic system of driving and road permits were discussed. First, the short and long-term plan in connection with collecting transportation and municipalities’ taxes was delivered to the session by deputy minister of incomes and customhouses for finance. He said that the plan has been prepared and organized for improvement of collecting system of transport incomes in coordination and agreement with ministries of transport, public works, independent directorate of local organs, Kabul municipality, chambers of commerce and industries, private sector and all other relevant organs. He added that ways of short, mid and long-term solutions have been also predicted in the respective plan.
Representing the country’s private sector, deputy of Afghanistan chambers of commerce and industries Khanjan Alokozay by welcoming the plan said it was the first plan prepared by the government during the past 15 years, suggesting that collecting incomes should be divided into three categories and asked ministry of transport to deliver services in this regard. Acting minister of public works Yama Yari said that it was good that all scales should be activated and controlled by ministry of finance. Related to roads, he said that ministry of public works was working on a plan for protection, maintenance and safety of roads. In the session, minister of finance spoke related to the issue and said that the plan has been prepared within six months and its consequences would be changeable after the plan reviewed and tested.
The country’s President asserted that the respective plan stressed on short-term steps and it was necessary that the plans should be mid and long-term, instructing acting ministers of public works and transport to work on short-term plans in coordination with private sector. President Ghani further said that scales should be transferred to customhouses and security section of finance ministry should be strengthened, adding that scales have been monopolized and suggested two plans: first exemption from fees for one year and the other would be mobile fines. The country’s President stressed that in connection with taking fees from the people services should be delivered and related to transportation fees for raw material in the country should be exempted. In other part of the session, report related to execution of Asan Khedmat Authority and plan for issuing electronic driving license and road permit delivered by acting minister of telecommunication and information technology were discussed.
Acting minister of telecommunication and information technology Shahzad Aroubi said that based on the plan, bureaucracy in all working sections such as distribution and renewing road permit, driving license, issuing plates, incidents and buying and selling vehicles would be ended. The country’s President while praising Asan Khedmat Authority said that future of the organ would depend to ministry of telecommunication and information technology and stressed on further discussions in this regard, adding that experts team from relevant institutions including a number of lecturers of Kabul Polytechnic University should conduct a clear analysis in this regard and find proper alternatives. At the end of the session, in presence of EU Special Representative to Afghanistan Francis Michael Mellbin and a number of other EU ambassador Franz-Michael Mellbin, EU 100 million euro assistance was announced for improvement of development policies, protection of economic stability, better management of public finance and strengthening of transparency in budget of Afghanistan government.
