KABUL (Pajhwok): Both the former Ghani administration and the current Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) controlled government benefitted from US aid by imposing taxes, fees, duties, and utilities on implementing partners as a condition of operating in Afghanistan, the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) said in its latest report.
The US watchdog said that implementing partners paid at least $10.9 million to the IEA-controlled government in the form of taxes, fees, import duties, or for the receipt of permits, licenses, or public utility services.
In addition, most of the taxes, fees, duties, and utilities reported by the implementing partners were not captured in annual tax reporting to US agencies because US agencies only require implementing partners to report value-added taxes and customs duties.
Additionally, it was found that the IEA-controlled government has disrupted implementing partner activities through various means, including attempts to divert aid or infiltrate nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and interfere with their activities, which in some cases, negatively impacted the implementation of activities and diverted aid from the intended beneficiaries.
The report said that US government has continued to be the largest international donor supporting the Afghan people since the former Afghan government collapsed and the IEA returned to power in August 2021. Since then, the US government has provided more than $2.8 billion in humanitarian and development assistance to help the people of Afghanistan.
Talking to National Radio Zabihullah Mujahid, spokesperson of the IEA, rejected SIGAR’s claims and said that taxes, water and electricity charges and customs tariffs belonged to the national budget of Afghanistan and said IEA never interfered in the in the internal affairs of NGOs.
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