The Taliban’s intelligence agency has taken over the tax collection system, which is fundamentally under the purview of the group’s Ministry of Finance, in addition to exerting widespread pressure on citizens. Sources indicate that the Taliban’s intelligence agency’s control over the tax system demonstrates that, within this regime, institutional responsibilities are assigned to the intelligence agency without any logical division or structural separation. Sources confirm that the Taliban’s intelligence agency summons representatives and officials of tax-paying entities to the Shash Darak area in Kabul, treating them as suspects, interrogating them, and threatening them to pay taxes immediately. However, economic experts state that the interference of the Taliban’s intelligence agencies in tax collection reflects the peak of institutional anarchy within the regime and indicates that coercion and intimidation are central elements of Taliban ideology.
Credible sources told the Hasht-e Subh Daily that the Taliban’s Intelligence Directorate Unit 02 in Kabul summons representatives and officials of private institutions, organizations, as well as other individual and legal tax-paying entities, to the Shash Darak area, treating them as criminal suspects and threatening them to pay their taxes immediately. According to sources, the Taliban’s intelligence agency uses espionage and gathers personal and family information about taxpayers to intimidate them.
Sources state that tax collection and its administrative structure, primarily the responsibility of the Taliban’s Ministry of Finance, operate within a legal framework. They note that this tax structure was inherited from the previous government, and specific departments were established within the Ministry of Finance to implement it. However, the Taliban’s Intelligence Directorate Unit 02 in Kabul has taken charge of this responsibility.
Sources within the Taliban’s Ministry of Finance also confirm that a financial intelligence section exists administratively within the ministry. Nevertheless, this section lacks authority, and all activities related to tax collection and financial oversight are conducted by the Taliban’s Central Intelligence Directorate Unit 02.
A source within the Taliban’s Ministry of Finance stated, “This process is carried out through intimidation and threats. Before taxes are paid, personal information about individuals is collected, including details such as how many houses they own abroad and in which countries their children reside. This discourages anyone from daring to invest. Meanwhile, the tax payment process is supposed to be self-assessed and reviewed through the Ministry of Finance.”
The Ministry of Finance is officially responsible for planning, regulating, and implementing tax policies in Afghanistan. Its duties include tax collection, budgeting, managing public expenditures, and administering customs.
Mir Shekab Mir, a former official responsible for service development at Afghanistan’s Central Bank, told the Hasht-e Subh Daily that taxes under the Taliban regime are imposed heavily, without regard for the country’s economic situation or the prevailing market stagnation, and are collected from citizens and the private sector through coercion and threats.
The former Central Bank service development official added that the Taliban do not provide adequate, high-quality, or accessible public services, such as healthcare, education, higher education, or other public services. He emphasized that, in such circumstances, the interference of their intelligence agencies in tax collection reflects the height of institutional anarchy within the regime and demonstrates that coercion and intimidation are core components of Taliban ideology. According to him, the continuation of this situation will ultimately lead to the exodus of investors and capital from the country.
Meanwhile, some taxpayers express concern, emphasizing that tax payments should be conducted based on tax principles and regulations overseen by the Taliban-controlled Ministry of Finance. They argue that intelligence agency interference in tax collection not only alters the process and purpose of tax collection to serve intelligence objectives but also leads to capital flight and strengthens terrorist groups.
Ahmad (pseudonym), a taxpayer, stated: “The summoning of individuals and legal entities by the Taliban to the intelligence directorate violates all tax payment norms and increases the potential for abuse and excessive pressure on investors. This action reinforces suspicions that taxes are being collected for intelligence purposes, which is truly concerning.”
This comes as tax collection methods in Afghanistan under Taliban rule significantly deviate from legal frameworks and international standards. Numerous reports indicate that the Taliban use force, threats, and intimidation to collect taxes.
Over the past four years, in addition to collecting taxes on assets, particularly agricultural products, the Taliban have also collected zakat, despite the country facing drought and widespread poverty. The group has warned citizens that failure to pay could result in detention or punishment. The Taliban claim these taxes are collected to fund public services and assist the needy, but in practice, these resources are primarily used to finance their military and administrative operations.
Meanwhile, the World Bank has reported that tax collection in Afghanistan under Taliban rule has increased compared to the past. According to the bank, this has raised concerns about the use of these resources to fund military operations and suppress opponents.
You can read the Persian version of this report here:
استخبارات طالبان؛ حاکم مطلق مالیات و گروگانگیری در اقتصاد افغانستان
