Economy

Benefits Reaped from Sayrafa Will Be Taxed
Benefits Reaped from Sayrafa Will Be Taxed

  A 17% tax will be applied on profits from transactions carried out by individuals and companies on Sayrafa, the exchange platform of Lebanon’s Central Bank (BDL). The taxable profits are those derived from operations exceeding $15,000 in 2022 and 2023. The decision by Caretaker Minister of Finance Youssef Khalil comes as part of the ...

A New Airbus for Middle East Airlines!
A New Airbus for Middle East Airlines!

On Friday, Middle East Airlines (MEA) received its tenth and last Airbus A321 Neo aircraft. It landed at Beirut International Airport at around 2:00 PM, coming directly from the Airbus factories in Hamburg, in the presence of the Caretaker Minister of Transport and Public Works, Ali Hamiye. Despite an unprecedented economic crisis and severely ...

The Rent Issue Continues to Stir Passions
The Rent Issue Continues to Stir Passions

The issue of rents for residential units and commercial spaces remains unresolved. Owners and tenants are navigating between new and old leases. The interpretation of laws is causing division among legal professionals and judges alike. Owners are reluctant to rent out their real estate properties, and potential tenants are hesitant to commit to a ...

Postal Sector: Contract with LibanPost Renegotiated
Postal Sector: Contract with LibanPost Renegotiated

Last November, the Council of Ministers decided to extend and renegotiate the management contract for the postal sector with LibanPost, which had expired in 2019 and had since been tacitly renewed. However, on July 13th, French shipping company CMA CGM won the tender launched by the Ministry of Telecommunications through the Merit-Colis Privé ...

Rodolphe Saadé: Reforms Are Key to Attracting Investment
Rodolphe Saadé: Reforms Are Key to Attracting Investment

Referring to the investment climate in Lebanon, Rodolphe Saadé, Chairman and CEO of the CMA CGM Group, said that while his group is keen to invest in Lebanon, and is doing so in several areas, the political situation needs to be stabilized. In particular, it is imperative to elect a president, form a new government and implement reforms that are ...

EDL: The Public Sector Starts Paying Its Bills
EDL: The Public Sector Starts Paying Its Bills

The Ministry of Finance has begun settling public institutions' outstanding electricity bills with Électricité du Liban (EDL). The public electricity supplier announced in a statement that it had been informed on June 6 that the Ministry of Finance had begun paying the amounts due on bills from the General Directorate of the Presidency of the ...

Hasbani to TIB: We Are Proposing a Law to Help Taxpayers
Hasbani to TIB: We Are Proposing a Law to Help Taxpayers

In an interview with This is Beirut, MP Ghassan Hasbani explained the draft law proposed to alleviate the impact of inflation and the deterioration of the local currency on taxpayers in Lebanon.

A Conditional Revaluation of Stocks and Fixed Assets
A Conditional Revaluation of Stocks and Fixed Assets

Economic organisms are urging MPs to promptly discuss and approve amendments to Article 45 of the income tax law. The amendments grant companies an “exceptional” authorization to revalue their inventory and fixed assets, and to manage exchange rate differences from foreign currency receivables and accounts. They can either recognize gains or ...

Electricity: Production Will Increase, But Not the Hours Supplied
Electricity: Production Will Increase, But Not the Hours Supplied

The caretaker Minister of Energy and Water, Walid Fayad, announced on Friday “an increase in electricity production from mid-June.” He pointed out that the two power plants in operation, Deir Ammar and Zahrani, currently produce the equivalent of around 450 megawatts, which will rise to around 600 megawatts by mid-June. Unfortunately, this ...

ECB cuts interest rates
ECB cuts interest rates

The European Central Bank cut interest rates for the first time since 2019 on Thursday as eurozone inflation gradually eases, but president Christine Lagarde said the path ahead was unclear and warned of a "bumpy road." The key deposit rate was lowered a quarter point to 3.75 percent, bringing it down from a record high. Following an ...

Issuance of Drivers' Licenses by Traffic and Vehicle Authority
Issuance of Drivers' Licenses by Traffic and Vehicle Authority

The Traffic and Vehicle Management Authority (mécanique) announced on Thursday that it is starting to issue drivers' licenses to candidates who passed the theoretical and practical exams in 2022. The formalities will be conducted in the offices of Nabatieh, Saida, Zahle, Tripoli, Ouzai, Aley, and Jounieh. Interested individuals must personally ...

France and Qatar Covet Lebanon’s Solar Energy Production
France and Qatar Covet Lebanon’s Solar Energy Production

Lebanon is currently producing some 15,000 Megawatts of electricity from solar energy, a quantity that is expected to rise thanks to increasing individual and collective initiatives. The endeavors in question are aimed at saving energy, reducing the electricity bills from private fuel-powered generators, and lowering taxation from Lebanon’s ...