The Parliamentary Finance and Budget Committee, led by MP Ibrahim Kanaan, met on Thursday to continue reviewing the 2024 fiscal year budget proposal.
This budget, approved by the Council of Ministers on September 12, was discussed in the presence of the Caretaker Minister of Finance, Youssef Khalil, and the Minister of Interior, Bassam Mawlawi. The session specifically addressed the budget of the Ministry of Interior and Municipalities.
Following the session, Kanaan emphasized the apparent lack of coordination among ministries, the administration, and the government after the discussions. He stated, “We are surprised by the requests related to hospitalization, fuel, and other matters due to their amount, which exceeds by several billion the amounts initially projected in the budget proposal. It’s worth noting that this groundwork should have been done beforehand, before presenting the project to Parliament, involving collaboration between the various pillars of the government and the relevant ministries.”
Ibrahim Kanaan disclosed that no funds were allocated for organizing municipal elections in the 2024 budget proposal. “As a result, we have made an exceptional decision to allocate one billion Lebanese pounds from the reserve to the Ministry of Interior for the holding of municipal elections.” However, he emphasized that the committee prefers not to consistently tap into the reserve whenever a ministry or the administration makes a demand in that regard. He clarified that the committee perceives this issue as fundamental, of utmost national importance, and linked to the renewal of the legitimacy of local authorities.
As for municipal fees, Kanaan stressed that municipalities “cannot double or increase charges without the presence of unified standards, especially in the absence of authorized laws, and without the approval of Parliament, especially since the Finance and Budget Committee has suspended these increases.”
Regarding the electricity issue, Kanaan stated that it has become clear that ministries and departments bear no responsibility for the use of allocated funds. He provided the example of a department within the Ministry of Interior, which was assigned 72 billion Lebanese pounds, whereas the previously allocated amount did not surpass 7 billion pounds. As a result, the question of the electricity fee calculation standard was brought up, and the article has been put on hold, awaiting clear clarifications from the Ministry of Energy and Water next Monday.
Finally, Ibrahim Kanaan clarified that the budget audit, whether in terms of figures or legal documents, is a serious matter that requires the need for increased sessions. “Next week, we will hold four sessions to prevent the budget from being published by decree,” he declared.
