The Afghanistan Journalists Center has recently announced that the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology of the interim government has suspended the operating licenses of 17 radio and television networks in Nangarhar due to their failure to pay “frequency taxes.”
In a statement released today (Monday, August 7), the center said that the Ministry of Communications has warned these media outlets that they will not be allowed to operate until they pay their overdue taxes.
The statement mentioned that the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (ATRA), which operates under the Ministry of Communications, has verbally and in writing communicated the decision to suspend these media outlets to their owners.
It further stated that ATRA emphasized that due to the refusal of local media owners in Nangarhar to pay “frequency taxes” and the “non-renewal of frequency licenses,” local radio and television stations in Nangarhar will not be permitted to operate based on Article 37 of the Telecommunications Services Law.
Additionally, the Afghanistan Journalists Center, citing its sources in Nangarhar, reported that local media in this province, being a first-class province, are required to pay 108,000 Afghanis annually for frequency license renewal and an additional $25 as ancillary costs.
The center stressed: “All local media are indebted in this regard, with their debts ranging from one year to over ten years.”
Part of the statement noted that currently, radio and television stations must obtain separate licenses not only from the Ministry of Communications but also from the Ministries of Information and Culture, Industry and Commerce, and even municipal authorities, paying separate fees for each of these licenses.
Furthermore, local media officials in Nangarhar have informed the Afghanistan Journalists Center that their economic problems have doubled since the interim government regained control over Afghanistan, and advertising—once their main source of income—has decreased unprecedentedly.
They stated that they do not have the financial capacity to cover operational costs and the multiple taxes imposed by the Taliban.
The center expressed serious concern over the suspension of local media activities in Nangarhar and urged ATRA to forgive their debts in light of the economic difficulties faced by local media, extend their operating licenses, and adjust and implement the annual frequency license tax considering the economic challenges of these media outlets.
It is worth noting that since regaining control over Afghanistan, the current government has imposed extensive restrictions on media activities and journalists in the country.
