Taliban force afflicted Afghan farmers to pay ‘zakat’ tax

Kabul: The cash-strapped Taliban regime is asking Afghan farmers to pay the so-called charitable tax (zakat) on their land and crops. According to RFE / RL, complete Afghanistan War, drought and covid have devastated farmers. Now, Afghan farmers who have lost money trying to grow crops over the past year say the Taliban are dealing another serious blow, according to the report.

Taxes are being collected from charities even though farmers themselves are among the 14 million Afghans already facing acute hunger. farmers say Taliban US tax collectors have estimated the value of your property that you will have to pay a ‘Zakat’ tax of 2.5 percent on that value. The Taliban justify their charitable taxes as one of the five pillars of Islam, which are seen as obligations for all Muslims.

The report states that zakat differs from the voluntary act of giving charitable gifts out of kindness or generosity. It is mandatory for those who earn more than a certain amount of income and is based on a person’s income as well as the value of their assets. The recipients of Zakat are the poor and needy, struggling Islamists, slaves or people in debt, stranded travelers, and soldiers struggling to protect the Muslim community. Those who collect Zakat also receive compensation for their work.

The report said that critics of zakat include Islamic scholars and humanitarian workers, who point out that the practice has failed to reduce poverty in the Muslim world. It maintains that money is often wasted and mismanaged. The report says residents of Ghor province refute the ministry’s claim that the Taliban are not providing information on paying taxes. The report says the Taliban’s tax collection process began when local militants posted so-called night letters on the walls of local mosques and residential complexes.

Farmers in Afghanistan’s central province also say Taliban gunmen broke into their homes at night to demand that tithes and charitable taxes be paid. The report says that for those who have no money to pay, their families will have to rely even more on humanitarian aid in the coming months. They say the Taliban have also confiscated their animals.

The Taliban-led government agriculture ministry in Kabul says it is collecting donations from farmers, ranchers and small gardeners to increase the country’s income and “self-sufficiency.”