Businessmen meet government officials in Aleppo on excessive taxes
ALEPPO, Syria (North Press) – Prominent businessmen and industrial figures in the city of Aleppo, northwestern Syria, met days earlier with security officials in the Syrian government forces to discuss the frequent taxes and royalties imposed by their forces.
A businessman from Aleppo, who preferred to remain unnamed for security reason, told North Press on Tuesday that traders and businessmen from the Arkoob, al-Shuqaif industrial zones filed complaints to the security committee in Aleppo, which includes harassments of the Fourth Division, affiliated with the government forces, and government customs offices that impose taxes and royalties on them.
He pointed out the businessmen were distressed by these harassments and were considering to close their factories and facilities due to excessive taxes.
On Dec. 17, 2023, North Press reported that relatives of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad manage three offices in Aleppo to impose millions of Syrian pounds in royalties of on traders and businessmen who still live in the city.
Before the Syrian conflict, Aleppo was known as “the economic capital of Syria” due to thriving businesses and projects. Later, the intensifying clashes between the armed opposition factions and the government forces forced many traders and business owners to leave the city.
When the government finally took control of the city in 2016, the businessmen returned but faced many challenges as the authorities started to impose large sums of taxes on them. This negatively impacted the economy which has been experiencing a severe crisis for several years.
The source added that the officials in the security committee gave promises to take action in the near future to solve this issue as soon as possible.