KABUL: According to official documents from 2014, a total of 850,000 tons of fuel was imported for foreign forces that year. In the first four months of 2015, the same documents show up to 200,000 tons of fuel was imported for foreign troops, indicating no decline from the previous year.
Based on an agreement signed between the Afghan ministries of finance, commerce and industries, foreign affairs and the NATO coalition, fuel imported for foreign forces was not charged a customs duty. However, with the NATO combat mission now over, and the number of foreign troops down to 13,000 from a peak of 150,000, questions have been raised over why the same amount of fuel is allowed to be imported without paying customs fees.
Nevertheless, officials from the ministries of finance and commerce and industries have maintained that imports of fuel for foreign forces have in fact declined. Yet they refused to provide any specific numbers.
“Imports of fuel materials has significantly declined after the number of foreign forces declined,” Ministry of Finance spokesman Abdul Qadir Jailani said on Monday. “No kind of robbery has taken place with the imports of fuels materials for foreign forces,” he added.
According to Jailani, the only vehicles allowed to bring imported fuel in without paying a customs duty are those registered with the U.S. Embassy in Kabul. Yet, again, no specific figures could be provided regarding the rate or volume of the fuel imports.
Meanwhile, Ministry of Commerce and Industries spokesman Musafir Qoqandi said the Finance Ministry is the authority responsible for monitoring the imports. “Imports of fuel to foreign forces have declined, but there is no exact figure about the scale of the fuel imported,” Qoqandi said. “It is the responsibility of the Ministry of Finance to monitor the imports of fuel for foreign forces.”
The Oil Importers Association has disputed the official claims, arguing that fuel is still imported without being charged a customs duty on the same scale as previous years. Unfortunately, the lack of government monitoring on the contracts and customs revenues have paved the way for profiteers to take advantage of the opportunity. “We shared the issue with the government several times, but if the government doesn’t take the necessary steps to prevent the corruption, the corruption will grow.”
The Afghan government continues to face budgeting issues in large part because of its inability to effectively collect revenue. Corruption in customs offices around the country has been pointed to as a major reason behind revenue deficiencies, yet without adequate oversight, it can be no wonder why such corruption is able to proliferate.
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