The Parliamentary Finance and Budget Committee, chaired by MP Ibrahim Kanaan, completed the study of the articles of the draft budget for the year 2024 on Monday and will start examining the budgets allocated to various administrations on Wednesday.
The committee, which met on Monday, rejected the surcharges and new taxes proposed by the government. According to MP Kanaan, “the proposed increases in consumption taxes have been modified to align with the price index.” “In the government’s proposal, they were chaotic,” he lamented.
In this context, Kanaan pointed out that “objections to the budget proposal brought together employees and employers for the first time because tax and duty increases did not exclude anyone and affected, among others, the deceased (repatriation of bodies, editor’s note), salaries, and consumers at various levels.”
The deputy confirmed the cancellation of all taxes and fees that were not previously in effect. “We also asked the government to prepare a table listing the modified articles and their impact on the estimated deficit volume in the budget, based on scientific study rather than simple arithmetic calculation,” he continued.
The committee will examine the budgets allocated to various administrations the day after tomorrow, Wednesday, starting with the Presidency, the government and associated institutions.
