OVERVIEW The Afghanistan Central Business Registry (ACBR), launched September 27, 2008, is a “one-stop shop” for registering a business in Afghanistan. The ACBR streamlines and consolidates the many steps required to register a business in Afghanistan – whether done by the entrepreneur forming the business, his/her agent, or the Afghanistan Investment Support Agency (AISA) on his/her behalf. The ACBR makes it possible to complete all the steps required for business registration in a short time at one central location - enrolling in the ACBR system, obtaining a Tax Identification Number (TIN), arranging publication of the business name in the Gazette, and paying a single fee for all the services rendered. A referral letter to the relevant licensing agency will also be supplied. BACKGROUND Obstacles to private sector development are reflected in the World Bank’s ‘Doing Business’ survey for 2009, which ranks Afghanistan at 162 out of 181 countries for ease of doing business. Business environment reforms are critical to expanding Afghanistan’s nascent private sector and generating employment opportunities, which will broaden the tax base and enable the Afghan government to improve services to its population. USAID is encouraging business development in Afghanistan by providing technical assistance through BearingPoint in a number of key areas within the Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MOCI), including trade policy, commercial law, regulatory reform, and human resource development. Entrepreneurs in Afghanistan have previously been required to physically visit a minimum of five locations in order to register their businesses, which took a business approximately 6-8 days. Not only was the process time-consuming, but it also afforded ample opportunities for corruption as each step was paper-based, making it easy for the person in charge to exact additional “fees”. ABOUT THE AFGHAN CENTRAL BUSINESS REGISTRY
The ACBR has been established pursuant to the Laws on Corporations and Limited Liability Companies, Partnerships, and Arbitration promulgated in January 2007, which require that every business be registered at a Central Registry. The ACBR is a MoCI entity and the Directorate of the Central Business Registry is responsible for day-to-day operations. The streamlined ACBR process reduces the time to register a business to just a few hours. The cost is also clear, consistent, and reasonable for all registrants: 500Afs for registration (equivalent to US $10), with a corresponding Official Gazette fee of 3Afs per character. The ACBR fees were set to cover operating costs and will be remitted to the Ministry of Finance. The main branch of the ACBR in Kabul is just the first step for simplifying registration for businesses in Afghanistan. Future plans include the opening of the provincial office of the ACBR in Jalalabad in early July, and the opening of branches in five other provinces. BENEFITS TO BUSINESSES AND GOVERNMENT o Reduced opportunities for corruption – no signatures, money changes hands once o Greater access to benefits of being a registered business: qualify for bank loans, attract investment, speed up customs clearance, receive legal protections. o Fulfillment of requirements to obtain trader and investment licenses. o Improved data collection and reporting from ACBR central database to Central Statistics Office.
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