Taliban Seizes Border Posts, Draining Key Afghan Income Source
- Government losing more than $30 million a month in taxes
- Taliban says it has reduced import duties to boost trade
This article is for subscribers only.
The Taliban has seized key customs posts and is collecting import duties on goods entering Afghanistan, a Ministry of Finance official said, cutting off a key revenue source for President Ashraf Ghani’s beleaguered government.
The ministry collected only 4.6 billion Afghanis ($58 million) in duties last month compared with 7.3 billion Afghanis in June from all 30 customs posts located on borders, cities and airports, ministry spokesman Mohammad Rafi Tabe said by phone. Most losses were at international border crossings where the Taliban took more than 2.7 billion Afghanis, he said.