The head of the Gozar’s Council in Herat city´s District 4, Mr. Noor Ahmad was not completely aware about the properties surveyed in his district. “I will not let the municipality surveyor and staff to survey and register our properties, because the safayi tax will increase and we will not pay”  he said.

The City for All Programme (CFA) raised awareness and informed the community about the survey process and the benefits of paying the Safayi tax. Following the explanation, Ahmad pondered about it and quickly asked Sayed Hamid to provide him with more clear details on the programme in order to communicate it and convince the whole Nahia residents. Sayed Hamid, Social mobilizer of CFA in Herat city, kindly smiled at him and patiently went through all details explaining in simple words its purpose, aim and scope, highlighting the benefit of the programme for both Government and communities.

Moreover, Sayed Hamid explained that the collected Safayi fee would be spent back in his Nahia. Noor Ahmad was strongly impressed by his explanation and assured him that he will keenly take active part encouraging the community people to allow the surveyors continue their work in the field.

The CFA (City for All) programme supports target cities to survey and register all properties within their municipal boundaries to forge a common vision and increase local revenue for better service delivery.

Regarding revenue collection, municipalities are legally  to collect revenue from more than 50 sources classified into fixed sources and non-fixed sources. Among those sources, Safayi tax is the most important, stable and reliable source, and plays a significant role in revenue composition for municipalities. Paying Safayi tax in Herat city has been a challenge but has greatly enhanced Municipality’s revenue and thus, the opportunity and resources required to provide quality services to the citizens.