KABUL (SW): In just a week’s time, the government’s kitty received unprecedented amount of over afn 78 million thanks to the newly imposed 10 % tax on telecommunication.
Abdul Raziq Wahidi, Minister for Telecommunication and Broadcasting told journalists on Sunday that only on the Day of Arafat, the revenue collected hit the record on afn one million. He assured the countrymen that each and every penny of this tax goes straight to the government’s kitty.
Explaining the breakdown of this revenue, the Minister said an overwhelming 76% of it came from the afn 50 cards. He mentioned that the Ministry has the resources to track the dynamics of the telecommunications, timings etc.
Shafiq Ahmad Qari, Deputy Head of Policy at the Ministry said that this move would prove crucial in ensuring the self-reliance of the country in the wake of shrinking foreign aid. He mentioned it was the first time the people were directly paying their taxes to the government.
Mohammad Najib Azizi, Head of the Association of the Telecommunication Providers, confirmed that the people have contributed around afn 80 million. Afghan officials mentioned that all countries of the world were collecting this tax from their citizens and it was nothing new.
ENDS
