Fourth Division devises new formula to collect taxes in Syria
ALEPPO, Syria (North Press) – The Syrian government’s Fourth Division is devising a new tax collection system at checkpoints, following a security decision to withdraw military checkpoints from Syrian cities.
Exclusive government sources revealed to North Press that representatives of the Fourth Division – which is led by Maher al-Assad, the brother of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad – held several meetings on this issue with officials of the Aleppo Security Committee over the past month.
Earlier, North Press reported that money exchange and transfer shops in Aleppo, managed by relatives of Maher al-Assad and First Lady Asma al-Assad, impose taxes on traders and industrialists in the city. The withdrawal of checkpoints from cities creates an opportunity for these shops to collect taxes.
Occasional disagreements arise between both parties over the income generated from taxes collected at crossings in Aleppo Governorate. Crossings in Aleppo link government-held areas with territories controlled by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army (SNA), and Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS). These crossings serve as significant revenue sources.
According to the source, the Division will collect taxes using a new formula, renaming its checkpoints as ‘Security of the Fourth Division to Combat Weapon Smuggling’. This will be done in coordination with the customs department.
The checkpoints will feature prefabricated rooms and signposts labeled Security of the Fourth Division.
The new changes are scheduled to begin next year, said the source.