Tax Exemption Process of Non-profit Organizations Converted to Online Format

In an unprecedented action, the General Directorate of Revenues has moved the tax exemption process of non-profit organizations into online form. In this meeting that was held at the National Academy of Customs and Revenues for this purpose, Hafiz Khalil Ahmad Abu Ehsan, the Operational Assistant of the General Directorate of Revenues; Abdul Wali Noori, Technical Assistant of the General Directorate of Revenues; Maulawi Nida Mohammad Siddiqi, Director of Legal Services and Policy; Muhammad Jalal Ahmadzai, the Director of revenues’ system and some representatives of domestic and foreign non-profit organizations participated.
Initially, in the opening speech, Hafiz Khalil Ahmad Abu Ehsan, the Operational Assistant of the General Directorate of Revenues, said: "After the re-establishment of IEA, all the directorates of the MoF have been activated, and in terms of collecting revenues and reaching the problems of taxpayers, facilities and swiftness of activities have been proved. Obtaining the certificate of tax exemption of organizations, which was a problem in the past, has been completely solved and the entire process of tax exemption of non-profit organizations has been made online. As a result, this has made it faster and caused more transparent."
Later, Abdul Wali Noori, the Technical Assistant of the General Directorate of Revenues, said during in his speech: "Transferring the tax exemption process of non-profit organizations to the online format is another positive step in terms of creating facilities and bringing reforms. But in some cases, the law provides exceptions - those individuals who have non-profit activities and also governments and international organizations that agree in a bilateral or multilateral agreement; therefor, their activities are exempted from taxes according to the agreement."
The important issue is that the exemptions are mentioned in a valid legal document and the person who claims tax exemption should have all the terms and conditions, which are mentioned in the laws, Mr. Noori added.
After that, Maulawi Nida Mohammad Siddiqi, the Director of Legal Services and Policy to the General Directorate of Revenues, said: "Financial affairs are facilitated daily and the tax system is slowly moving towards e-governance. System building and e-activity or making the system online is not only for tax administration; However, it is also the best step for taxpayers, because it prevents time loss, creates speed, transparency and certainty in work."
Additionally, the Director of ACBAR Institute, Richard Hoffman congratulated the development and said about making the system online: "It is necessary to invest in the development of the online system, because it not only keeps the process active, but it also helps in anti-corruption." He assured for all-round cooperation with the vulnerable people of Afghanistan in terms of education and other possibilities.
At the end, Fazal Rabi Haqbin, the Director of the Entrepreneurship Education and Training Institute, said: "The

process of online tax exemption is an innovation and it’s praiseworthy." He suggested that the financial exemption certificate, which was for three-year period previously is now for a year, should be given more consideration.
It is merely worth noting that the MoF is committed to providing more facilities to taxpayers and is trying to make e-governance in its related bodies.