Arakan News Agency | Exclusive
The Arakan Army (AA), a separatist group controlling Arakan state in western Myanmar, imposed new monthly taxes on Rohingya homes in Maungdaw on Friday.
An Arakan News Agency correspondent reported that members of the Arakan Army visited Rohingya neighborhoods and villages in Maungdaw, informing residents that homeowners would have to pay a monthly building tax starting this month.
The newly imposed taxes are estimated at between 5,000 and 10,000 kyats (US$1-2) for homes, and between 20,000 and 50,000 kyats (US$4.5-11) for concrete buildings. Arakan Army officials have threatened to act against those who refuse to pay the taxes.
A resident told the Arakan News Agency that this is the first time residents have been asked to pay taxes on their homes, as they previously only paid taxes on land and shops. He added that shop taxes were only imposed in cities, not rural areas, and that under the rule of the Arakan Army, residents are now required to pay taxes on everything.
“We are under pressure to pay house taxes, and I’m starting to wonder if the Arakan Army will start imposing personal taxes in the future. It’s very worrying,” he added.
Since the beginning of this year, the Arakan Army has been collecting taxes monthly from Rohingya shops. Residents in Maungdaw say they live under constant threat of arbitrary arrest, expulsion from villages, persecution, and discrimination by the Arakan Army, which restricts their movements, unlike its treatment of other ethnic groups.
Since the Arakan Army took control of Maungdaw on December 8, it has continued its violations against the Rohingya, including sealing off their homes after malicious complaints, seizing them, confiscating their valuables, and displacing many families. It has also imposed strict restrictions on the Rohingya, prohibiting their movement between villages and restricting their movement through a network of security checkpoints at the entrances and exits of every Rohingya village.
The Arakan Army controls most of Arakan state after launching a military campaign against the Myanmar military in November 2023 to seize control of the state. This conflict has subjected the Rohingya to violence, displacement, and forced conscription, in addition to the genocidal campaign they were subjected to by the Myanmar military in 2017, which forced nearly a million of them to flee to neighboring Bangladesh.
