Taliban have sharply increased taxes on pharmacies and private medical clinics in parts of Khost province, local sources told Amu on Sunday.
The sources said the tax has been raised sevenfold in several districts, including Ali Sher, where the Taliban are now collecting up to 15,000 afghanis (about $210) from pharmacies and clinics.
They added that the same increase has been applied in Khost city, which doctors and pharmacists described as “crippling.”
Several pharmacy owners and private clinic managers in Khost said they are required to pay 5,000 afghanis in tax for a pharmacy alone, and 15,000 afghanis if the business also includes a medical practice.
They noted that before the Taliban’s return to power, the tax was 700 afghanis, and in the early months of Taliban rule it was lifted entirely under a decree from the group’s leader.
The sources said the increase has forced many private providers to pass the costs onto patients, making medicine and services less affordable.
The Taliban have ordered all private pharmacies and clinics in Khost to pay the new tax or face closure, the sources said.
Taliban officials have not publicly commented on the reported increase in medical service taxes.
