Losing Mosul 'will cost IS $4m a month in tax revenues'

An interesting thought on the cost to IS of losing Mosul: experts have said the group makes $4m a month from tax revenues from the city. 

IS has already lost much of its oil wealth as its territory shrinks - estimates suggest it has lost most of the $1bn it pulled in in 2014 from oil sales.

In this article, Hisham al-Hashimi, an expert on IS who advises the Iraqi government, says the group makes $4m a month from Mosul by charging a 4 percent income tax on salaries less than $600 per month, and 5 percent on monthly salaries between $600 and $1,000 - all of which will also be lost if the city falls.

As a result, the group will move to more 'traditional' methods of getting its cash - donations, criminal activity etc.

Middle East Eye has previously reported British experts as saying IS finances were in freefall and the group was moving towards "gangster tactics" of extortion, looting and the like.