On the recordJuly 7, 2011
As you know, the American taxpayer is spending $2 billion a week in Afghanistan. Among the expenditures are payment for projects that are rebuilding infrastructure in Afghanistan--roads, bridges, schools, in some cases hospitals. The Washington Post recently reported that the Afghan Government is taxing American aid. We send the money there to build a road. We have to hire contractors in order to do that, and the Afghan Government is trying to tax that money for their own coffers. So it's not enough that our taxpayers are spending billions of dollars on projects to rebuild their infrastructure. The Afghan Government is literally trying to reach into the pocket and double dip and tax our taxpayers for our taxpayers' generosity in giving them money. Now, how does that make any sense at all? Among the things that the Afghan officials are doing, after this was reported, is stepping up their efforts to grab that cash. They are doing things like threatening to detain contractors. If they don't pay up, take money that's assigned to build that road and put that money in the Afghan coffers, they, the Afghan officials, are threatening, Mr. Chairman, to detain our contractors. They are denying licenses to our contractors, again, in an effort to do what I could only call a shakedown. Third, they are revoking visas for unpaid tax bills. We are spending a substantial amount of our money rebuilding their infrastructure.…
