Waheedullah Hamoon, Ahmad Omid Tawakkoli
Afghanistan Research Initiative, University of Central Asia
In August 2021, the Taliban seized power and established an authoritarian theocracy. Their government is not internationally recognized and cannot access international aid that played such an essential role in the financing of the previous government. As a consequence, the Taliban's budget is half of what it was under their predecessor, relies on internal revenues to fund government operations, and has reduced to minimum spending socio-economic development programmes at a time when the country faces a humanitarian crisis. The international community has come to the population’s rescue and aid spending is greater than the government’s budget. Public finances under the Taliban are under researched. This paper aims to fill that gap by providing a detailed national budget analysis that reflects their political priorities and the government's rigorous pursuit of internal revenue sources. It examines the broader economic and societal consequences of Taliban rule.