Kunduz residents default on tax payments

KUNUDUZ CITY (Pajhwok): Municipality officials in northeastern Kunduz province have said that Kunduz residents were defaulted 100 million Afghanis on tax and urban services, warning them to pay their dues or face with power and water supply cut.

Kunduz Mayor Najibullah Omarkhail told Pajhwok Afghan News thousands of families had evaded tax and urban services from the past 15 years and some of the people refuse to clear their payments.

He said there were 400,000 people living in Kunduz City with 70 percent of them did not clear their outstanding.

He said that the levy of cleanliness tax on shops and urban services for each building was 3,000 Afghanis. Security organs were asked to help in collecting tax money from defaulters and bring those people to justices who were defaulters, he added.

“The departments of power, water supply and police headquarters have recently signed a memorandum of understanding to cut electricity and water supply of those who did not clear their dues,” he said.

He said that the defaulted residents were repeatedly informed through local media to pay clear their payments but no one had taken it serious. However, some residents said they were not were unaware about buildings and urban services’ taxes.

Sayed Abdur Rahman, a resident of the 3^rd police district of Kunduz City, said that tax was the right of the government and people must pay. He said that he has always paid his tax payments to the municipality asking other residents to clear their outstanding.

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