Finance ministry to be divided into three: Sources

KABUL (TOLO News): The Ministry of Finance (MoF) will be divided into three separate government institutions as part of a new plan by President Ashraf Ghani, sources within the government told TOLOnews.

The ministry will be divided into the office of revenues and customs, the office of the treasury, and the finance administration, the sources said.

“There is a plan by Mr. president,” said Finance Ministry spokesman Shamroz Khan Masjidi, “but the changes in the formation of the ministry are not known yet.”

The Ministry of Finance has four deputy ministerial offices, including the deputy minister’s office for revenues and customs, the deputy minister’s office for policies, the deputy minister’s office for finance and the deputy minister’s office for administration. Sources said the deputy minister’s office for the policy will be transferred to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

“It can be essential if the division of the Ministry of Finance into three departments is for improving the general management of finance and money,” said Qais Mohammadi, a university lecturer.

Analysts say there are concerns about the management of the country’s financial affairs if the ministry is divided into the three institutions.

“What is the government’s decision? Is it in a way that there will be a separate administration for revenues and customs, or there are two administrations separately one for revenue and another for customs?” asked Abdul Qadir Jailani, an analyst.

This comes as the government recently divided the Ministry of Energy and Water into two institutions: the office of power and the office of water management.