LONDON // ISIL’s revenues have fallen by about 30 per cent since last year, forcing the militant group to introduce a range of taxes including a levy on repairing satellite dishes, a research group says.
“In mid-2015, the ISIL’s overall monthly revenue was around US$80 million [Dh294m],” said Ludovico Carlino, a senior analyst at IHS, which issues regular reports on ISIL-controlled territory.
“As of March 2016, ISIL’s monthly revenue dropped to $56 million,” Mr Carlino said.
An IHS report also said oil production in areas controlled by the extremists had gone down to 21,000 barrels per day from 33,000 barrels per day before.
This was largely as a result of air strikes by the US-led coalition and Russia, although IHS warned the decline was only an “interruption of production” as ISIL was able to repair infrastructure.
The report said about 50 per cent of revenues came from taxation and confiscation of businesses and property, with 43 per cent from oil.
The remainder was made up of drug smuggling, the sale of electricity and donations, the report said.
“ISIL is still a force in the region but this drop in revenue is a significant figure and will increase the challenge for the group to run its territory in the long term,” Mr Carlino said.
IHS said ISIL had lost about 22 per cent of its territory in the past 15 months and now ruled over six million instead of nine million people.
This meant its tax base was smaller.
“Our research has found that the Islamic State is increasing taxes on basic services and coming up with new ways to get money from the population.
“These taxes include tolls for lorry drivers, fees for anyone installing new or repairing broken satellite dishes, and ‘exit fees’ for anyone trying to leave a city,” Mr Carlino said.
Fines for not being able to answer questions correctly on the Quran have also been introduced and ISIL is also taking cash as an alternative to corporal punishment penalties, IHS said.
Since the Syrian conflict erupted in 2011, half of the country’s population has been displaced – including five million who have fled to neighbouring states.
More than 270,000 people have been killed.
A truce brokered by Russia and the US in February excludes the fight against the group or Jabhat Al Nusra.
* Agence France-Presse
