Customs department officials in Balkh said that the department has increased its customs revenue by almost 3 billion Afs compared to the previous year.
Revenue has reached 9 billion afghani, while last year the customs revenue in Balkh was 6 billion afghani, according to the department.
“We collected 6.19 billion in customs revenue in 1400 from (Hamal) month to (Jadi) and we had a 2.8 billion increase in customs revenue,” said Safar Mohammad Sahar, head of customs in Balkh.
Some economists said the lack of corruption and bribery are the main reasons for the revenue increase.
“The main sources of income for the government are customs and tax collection, which was always the case, but due to widespread corruption, all revenue was lost,” said Abdul Naseer Reshtia, an economist.
Meanwhile, some traders and officials of the Chamber of the Commerce and Investment in Balkh called on the government to provide more trading facilities.
“The product of our traders should be considered in customs clearance and should be kept in a safe manner in the customs hangars,” said Ahmad Shikib Akbari, a member of the Chamber of Commerce and investment.
“Traders usually cannot get visas for their commerce trips, and without trips, we can’t have trade,” said Qalander Rahimi, a trader in Balkh.
According to officials, every day hundreds of commercial vehicles pass through the port of Haritan.
