Lebanon’s Caretaker Minister of Transport and Public Works, Ali Hamiye, announced on Monday the formation of joint specialized commissions between his department and the Ministry of Finance to re-examine the estimated price per square meter of public maritime domain to determine the annual fee for temporary occupation of these properties.
Speaking at a press conference, Hamiye said that this was “the first collaboration between two ministries on a very national issue, namely the development of public maritime property from south to north.”
He recalled the importance of this issue in terms of state revenues as well as in encouraging tourism, the economy, industry, and others. “A decree was issued in 2018, when the dollar exchange rate was 1,500 Lebanese pounds, and then another followed, dollarizing the fees with the aim of providing the Treasury with additional revenue, not from the pockets of citizens but rather from optimal investment in the public maritime domain,” he said.
Hamiye hoped that the land valuation would be completed within two months so that the Ministry of Public Works could submit to the Council of Ministers for approval a new decree imposing taxes at new rates to replenish the Treasury.
Regarding the investigation carried out by the Lebanese army on the entire Lebanese coast, the Minister assured that it has been completed, underscoring that “the violations committed represent a total encroachment of more than one million square meters.”
