TEMPO.CO, Mosul - The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) has imposed monthly taxes for all students in Mosul. A senior Iraqi security official in Iraq said that ISIS is seeking to gather profits in various sectors.
"ISIS elements are trying to get funds from different sources in order to run the territories they took over," the official said as reported by NBC News on Thursday, November 20, 2014.
ISIS imposes different monthly taxes for every educational level. Kindergarten students must pay 25,000 dinars or around Rp 255,000. Meanwhile high school student must pay 50,000 dinars (Rp 512,000) and 75,000 dinars (Rp762,000) for college undergraduates.
Many families have opposed the taxes as Iraqi government schools have been state-funded since 1974.
"We are living under very bad financial conditions here in Mosul. ISIS elements are using different kinds of pressure against us [...] My husband will have to work more hours to earn this money," said a mother of three.
ISIS has also been controlling oil sales in Iraq. The group can make up to US$36 billions a day, making the group considered as the world’s richest militant group.
RINDU P. HESTYA | NBC NEWS