The Ministry of Finance on Monday said that it will collect at least Afs5 billion ($64.9 million) of owed taxes from private companies and government-owned enterprises within the next few days.

The officials of the ministry said that the debts will be collected in compliance with President Ashraf Ghani’s order, which he made at a cabinet meeting on Sunday.

Kam Air, Roshan Telecom, Afghan Telecom and the National Development Company are eight state-owned firms said to owe taxes.

“The amount owed from private companies and a number of enterprises which owe income tax and non-income tax is worth for than five billion afghanis,” said Farid Nawekht, media officer of the Ministry of Finance.

He said that the debts will be collected by the end of the current fiscal year, which ends in six days. 

But officials of Kam Air said that they have paid a large portion of their debts to the government despite the losses they saw this year. 

“The situation today requires that--due to a 60 percent reduction in our revenues--we be treated based on the law and we should pay taxes in installments,” said Farid Paikar, the deputy head of Kam Air. 

“We signed a five-year agreement with the Ministry of Finance in the Hamal month of the current year (March 2020) based on which we will pay debts in installments over five years,” said Shafi Sharifi, head of the communication department of Roshan telecommunication company.