Taliban Release First Budget Since Afghan Takeover

The Taliban said Thursday they had approved their first budget for Afghanistan since the hardline Islamist returned to power in August, without mentioning foreign assistance.
International assistance represents 40 percent of Afghan GDP and produces 80 percent of its budget when the former US-backed government has control.

When destroyed in August and the Taliban took command, Western forces freeze billions of dollars in assistance and assets in what the UN described as “an unprecedented fiscal surprise”.

“For the first time in the past two decades, we made a budget that did not depend on foreign assistance and it was a very big achievement for us,” Taliban Ministry of Finance spokesman Ahmad Guardian Haqmal.

Budget of 53.9 billion Afghanistan ($ 508 million) approved on Wednesday will cover the first quarter of 2022 and almost completely dedicated to funding government institutions.

Haqmal said workers, many of them have not been paid for months, will begin to receive salaries at the end of January.

The female staff, most of which have been blocked from returning to their work, will also be paid.

“We counted it like they returned to work. We haven’t fired them yet,” said Haqmal.

About 4.7 billion Afghanistan will be spent on development projects including transportation infrastructure.

“This is a small amount but that’s what we can do now,” Haqmal said.

Taliban Exprouer is funded by “our own resources” including tax revenues, trade and mining, he added.

Islamists will announce their first annual budget in March, transferring the fiscal year to match the Afghan solar calendar.

Because they took over the power of Western countries had grappled with the task of channeling assistance to the nation without financing his new rulers.