KABUL — Taliban’s continued secrecy over the country’s national budget has drawn increasing criticism from citizens and economic experts, who say the lack of transparency is eroding public trust and undermining equitable development.
Since taking power in August 2021, Taliban have not published a national budget, leaving the public in the dark about how tax revenues are collected and spent. The last publicly released budget dates back to February 2021, before the Taliban’s return to power, when the former government projected 311 billion Afghanis in operating expenditures and 261 billion in development spending for the 1400 fiscal year.
“This is the most important financial document of any government,” said Hamidullah Farooqi, an economic analyst. “Without transparency, citizens are left questioning whether their rights and regional needs are being addressed, and whether social justice is being served. A lack of clarity threatens legitimacy and creates conditions for instability.”
According to a review by Amu Media, since the Taliban’s supreme leader Hibatullah Akhundzada assumed full control over financial affairs and relocated key decision-making to Kandahar, the bulk of large-scale development projects have been concentrated in southern provinces under his influence.
In the past month alone, 25 major development projects—with an estimated cost of 20 billion Afghanis—have been approved by the Taliban’s procurement commission. Most of these projects are in Kandahar, Helmand, Zabul, and Uruzgan, raising concerns about regional favoritism.
Approved projects include Kajaki-to-Kandahar power transmission line, Kandahar East substation, Kandahar–Spin Boldak highway, Zabul substation, Kajaki-to-Uruzgan power line, Nahrsaraj canal in Helmand and Qosh Tepa canal project.
Meanwhile, provinces such as Ghor and Bamiyan — historically underserved — have seen no major development projects in the same period, according to provincial state media reviews.
Some citizens say the Taliban’s opaque budgeting process denies them the right to know how public funds are used.
“They collect taxes from us, but we have no idea where the money goes,” said Shukria, a resident of Mazar-e-Sharif. “It is our right to see how our money is being spent, yet the Taliban have hidden the budget from everyone.”
Seyed Massoud, another financial analyst, warned that the lack of a formally approved and published budget has broad implications. “This is not just a legal issue,” he said. “It creates confusion in planning and leads to inefficient and unaccountable spending.”
A review of the Taliban Finance Ministry’s website, led by Mohammad Nasser Akhund, shows no mention of budget consultations or planning meetings in the past three months. Instead, the ministry’s updates have focused on low-level activities — including installing solar panels in a Kandahar district, constructing customs storage hangars, and purchasing three government vehicles.
As Afghanistan grapples with economic crisis and humanitarian need, experts say withholding the national budget threatens both fiscal accountability and the country’s prospects for balanced development.
