RASC News Agency: A consortium of physicians based in Islam Qala town, Herat, conveyed on December 11th, that the local Taliban administration is levying taxes on medical treatments. The Taliban municipality has issued forms to all private hospitals, mandating the recording of patient numbers and associated fees. Expressing dissatisfaction, the doctors assert non-consultation and opacity in the tax collection process, suspecting misappropriation of funds by local Taliban officials. Consequently, a contingent of doctors has halted operations in response to these circumstances.
In Islam Qala town, Herat, physicians are raising alarm over the actions of the local Taliban administration. They contend that municipal authorities are imposing taxes on both patient treatment revenue and the doctors’ personal income. The doctors argue that this decision was unilaterally made without their input, and the tax is being coercively collected by agents of the Taliban group. This has resulted in a considerable number of doctors discontinuing their services as a form of protest.
Criticism from doctors in Islam Qala town, Herat, is directed at the lack of a transparent tax collection mechanism by the Taliban municipality. They posit that the levied taxes are not contributing to community welfare but are rather being pocketed by local Taliban officials. Describing the fund collection as “arbitrary,” the doctors stress the absence of coordination with the central Taliban authorities. This lack of transparency and consultation intensifies their discontent with the imposed tax.
