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The Islamic State’s Answer To Massive Revenue Shortfall: Stop Chopping Off People’s Hands, Tax Them Instead

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The Islamic State’s month-over-month revenue has dipped by 30 percent, and they’ve come up with a novel solution: Less corporal punishment, more taxes.

During 2015, ISIS’ monthly revenue was about $80 million, but as of March 2016, it had dropped to about $56 million, according to an analysis by IHS, a provider of global market, industry, and technical expertise. The revenue shortfall was largely a result of a decrease in oil sales because of Washington’s large-scale bombing campaign.

ISIS initially cut salaries for its fighters in half, but that wasn’t enough. The caliphate then began raising taxes and imposing fines for violations under Shari’a law, as opposed to cutting off hands. Militants have even started quizzing people about the Koran and fining those who answer incorrectly, International Business Times reports.

That’s not all; ISIS has raised taxes on the installationsof satellite dishes, introduced tolls for truck drivers, and also started charging for permits to leave the city.

“The Islamic State 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,” Ludovico Carlino, an IHS senior analyst, said in the report.

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