The Taliban’s economic commission said Wednesday it has approved a new system for collecting taxes from companies extracting gold and chromite, shifting from cash payments to taking a portion of the extracted minerals.
In a statement, the office of the Taliban’s deputy chief minister for economic affairs said their share will vary depending on the scale of extraction and whether companies have processing facilities.
Under the decision, gold-washing or gold-mining companies must hand over 5, 10 or 15 grams of high-quality gold per hectare each month, based on the mine’s classification. The Ministry of Mines and Petroleum, with representatives from the Taliban’s finance ministry, will collect the payments.
For small chromite mines, companies will bear all extraction costs. The Taliban’s share will be 45% of unprocessed chromite, with companies keeping 55%. If companies process the mineral, the Taliban’s share drops to 40%, while companies’ share rises to 60%.
In large chromite mines, companies will also cover all costs. The Taliban will take 35% of unprocessed output, with companies retaining 65%. If processed, the Taliban’s share decreases to 30% and companies’ share rises to 70%.
The commission said the rules also apply to companies that previously extracted minerals but left raw materials on site. The decision has been sent to Taliban supreme leader Hibatullah Akhundzada for final approval.
This comes as the Taliban administration faces criticism for lacking transparency on revenues from the mining sector and how its budget is spent.
