Administrative Deputy Prime Minister Abdul Salam Hanafi says based on a decree of the leadership of the Islamic Emirate, all business owners whose turnover is under two million afghanis will be exempt from paying tax.

Speaking at a meeting in Kabul on Thursday, Hanafi said the IEA is committed to creating more and better facilities for the nation and the private sector.

“All shopkeepers and traders with annual sales of up to two million Afghanis are completely exempt from taxes,” said Hanafi.

Acting Minister of Finance Mohammad Nasir Akhund also said the decree is being implemented to reduce and cancel out taxes from the beginning of this year.

Nasir Akhund stated that the implementation of the tax exemption initiative will have positive effects on the general activities of the private sector in the country.

“We are truly grateful to Amirul Momineen (Supreme Leader Hibatullah Akhundzada) who has always stood shoulder to shoulder with the nation and the private sector and supported the private sector,” said Nooruddin Azizi, acting Minister of Industry and Commerce.

The Ministry of Commerce and Industry says that they have increased marketing efforts for domestic products to be sold on global markets.

Officials said markets of Central Asia and Russia are viable markets for Afghan goods and that they are trying to hold expos in these countries.

They also said that large expos of Afghan products will be held in Uzbekistan, Russia and Kazakhstan in the near future. Nooruddin Azizi, the acting minister of commerce and industry, said his ministry has increased marketing efforts in order to supply foreign markets with domestic products. He said Central Asia and Russia have proved to be stable markets for local goods.

Meanwhile, the Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce and Investment (ACCI) said there is no doubt that the markets of Central Asia and Russia are among the best markets for exported goods, but that the Islamic Emirate should pave the way for more exports and for technical issues to be resolved.

Economic experts believe that the marketing of Afghan products in global markets is one of the most important responsibilities of the relevant institutions in the government so that Afghanistan’s trade with other countries can flourish.

Afghanistan currently has good trade relations with Central Asian countries, and if these relations expand, more goods will be exported from Afghanistan, experts have said.

Shahabuddin Delawar, the acting Minister of Mines and Petroleum, met with a delegation from the Siberian oil and gas sector in Kabul this week to discuss investment opportunities.

According to the ministry, the visiting Russians expressed interest in investing in Afghanistan oil and gas mines.

In response, Delawar welcomed their interest and stated that the ministry would cooperate with them and provide necessary facilities for their endeavors.