The Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce and Investment (ACCI) said that the recently announced reduction in taxes will help the Afghan private sector, but the Islamic Emirate should bring reforms to the tax system.

Speaking at an event organized by the ACCI, the acting head of the Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce and Investment, Mohammad Younus Momand, said that taxes should be collected at customs offices from the traders.  

“The taxes should be enforced in consideration of the current status of the citizens. I mean, we should enforce all types of taxes based on the level of the business of the citizens,” he said.  

A member of the ACCI’s executive board, Khan Jan Alokozai, said that Afghan traders import commodities worth $5 billion to $6 billion annually, and he urged the Islamic Emirate to reduce the tariffs.  

“There are a lot of materials in Afghanistan that no company has. But its tariff are high. Another commission is being established for tariff issues and our friends will, inshallah, talk about it (tariff),” Alokozai said.  

Meanwhile, some traders complained about the closing of some crossing ports and problems in the issuance of visas for foreign countries.  

“The visa is a serious and central problem ahead of the traders. Lately we cannot simply receive visas with which we can travel to different countries--to the neighboring countries,” said Omid Haidari, a trader. 

“They should try not to mix the political issues with economic issues… because our trade sector has been massively affected,” said Ismail Danish, a trader. 

Earlier, the economic deputy prime minister, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, said that the Islamic Emirate had established a commission to address the challenges facing traders in Afghanistan.