Kabul (BNA) The Volesi Jerga (lower house of the parliament) summoned the ministers for finance, commerce and economy for giving details about the hike of foodstuffs and fuel prices that recently concerned the people, a statement of the Volesi Jerga said.
Expressing concern over the recent hike of price in the country, the lawmakers in a session chaired by House of people speaker, Abdul Rauf Ibrahimi discussed their questions with the summoned ministers, the statement said.
The lawmakers criticized the economic policy of the government and emphasized that the government had failed to completely monitor the prices in the market.
They said the constitution of the country had obliged the government to support the free market but it doesn’t mean to never control the price hiking every day.
First finance minister, Dr. Anwarul Haq Ahadi told the lawmakers that collecting the incomes and taxes and control over the customhouses of the country was the authority of his ministry, but never had the authority to control the market and prevent hike of prices.
He said in order to decrease the harms of the people, custom tariffs had been reduced on the fuel according to the resolution of the council of ministers, but added the expenses of the country was based on the foreign countries contributions and his ministry had not the authority to allocate budget for purchasing petroleum.
The major part of the budget is spent in the security sector and the domestic revenues don’t suffice the needs of the requirements, he said.
The minister of economy also said his ministry had not activity to prevent hike prices and called the ongoing economic policy against the people benefit asking for a mixed economic policy and agricultural sector growth in the country.
He also called tributes across the highways, municipality’s taxes, lack of the government intervention in the market and hoarding of the fuel and foodstuffs by a number of traders had caused hike of prices in the country.
He asked for soon codification of a decree for preventing the hoarding by some merchants.
The ministry of commerce means while asked for allocation of adequate budget for the ministry in order to combat hike of prices.
He in order to end hike price there is need for up to 30,000 tons of petroleum to be stocked in the reservoirs of the government.
But the house members called the answers insufficient saying despites the presented factors, there are additional reasons behind hike of prices such as corruption in the ministries and custom houses, illegal asking tributes, lack of the government control over the market and lack of the organs concerned among those reasons created this challenge.
A number MPs called the government to fail, to prevent corruption asking for set up of a special commission to investigate the reasons.
