Revenue collection swells in eastern Afghanistan

Customs houses in eastern Afghanistan are making extraordinary progress in collecting revenues, far above the set target, thanks to new technologies put in place and the simplification of Customs procedures.

According to data made available to United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) by the Customs officials in the eastern regional hub of Jalalabad, the officials were able to collect 3 billion Afs (US$ 60 million) soon after the Automatic System of Customs Data (ASYCUDA) was set up in Jalalabad and Torkham along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border in January 2006.

The target was 2 billion Afs (US$ 40 million), said Jalalabad Customs House Director Ehsanullah Kamawal.

Since then, the revenue collection has been swelling every year.

“In 2009, the targeted amount was 6.75 billion Afs (US$ 135 million) but we were able to collect almost 9.07 billion Afs (US$ 181.4 million), 34 per cent more than the target set by the Ministry of Finance,” said Mr Kamawal.

In 2005, before the new system was put in place with assistance from the World Bank and the UN Office for Project Services (UNOPS), a total of 2.1 billion Afs was collected in revenue.

Click here to read more.

May 21, 2010 · admin · No Comments
Posted in: Afghanistan's Economy