Tax penalties waived off for firms & individuals

KABUL (Pajhwok): The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan has announced waiving of all previous tax penalties and dines for individuals and companies.

Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar announced the waiver at a conference here on Sunday in support traders and industrialists.

He noted some of businessmen were committed to paying taxes honestly, but proposed payments on an annual basis.

“No one should be deprived if their legal rights,” he stressing, acknowledging that taxes played an important role in boosting government revenue.

Taxes were critical to funding the budget, strengthening security, providing public services and ensuring national prosperity, Baradar commented.

The national budget was currently being managed through domestic revenue, he explained, saying the government, especially the Finance Ministry, was duty-bound to act more transparently in collecting taxes.

He added the government was also responsible for creating a secure environment for businessmen, industrialists and the nation at large and protecting their properties.

Government assessments showed Afghan businessmen abroad were reluctant to return home due to problems related to five and three years plans, Baradar continued.

He went on to ask the Ministry of Finance to look for solutions to tax-related issue and share an executive mechanism with the economic commission.

There must be greater transparency in tax collection to prevent the loss of government’s income, he insisted, cautioning against the imposition of new taxes on businessmen and industrialists.

By the same token, he urged businesspeople to pay taxes in time to the relevant institutions to enable the government to meet itself its domestic expenses.

Mullah Abdul Salam Hanafi, the deputy prime minister on administrative affairs, said past tax penalties had been waived off to ensure timely levy payments in the future.

‏Anyone violating the relevant laws would be dealt with in accordance with the law, he warned, admitting all problems could not be resolved at one fell swoop.

The government and the businessmen were trying to address the existing hurdles in the way of investments, said the acting minister of finance, Hedayatullah Badri.

After the IEA takeover, the Customs Office of Afghanistan collected some tax fines and deposited them in an account operated by trusted, Abdul Mateen, head of the Office of Customs of Afghanistan.

All those who have already paid fines will be reimbursed their payments, according to Mateen.

aw/mud