Although more than a week has passed since the last session of the Finance and Budget Committee to discuss the draft budget law for the year 2022, information available to "Nidaa al-Watan" indicates that the committee's head, MP Ibrahim Kanaan, is on the verge of finalizing his report. This report is expected to include the articles that were approved, those that were suspended, and the revenues based on scenarios from the Ministry of Finance. In light of this, and based on what was announced yesterday by the caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati following a meeting with the Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berri at the second presidency headquarters, it is likely that the general parliamentary session to discuss and approve the budget will be held next week. Mikati, in response to a question from "Nidaa al-Watan," denied that he discussed the issue of forming the new government with Berri and confirmed that the discussion was focused on the budget and the possibility of presenting it before the Parliament next week. This position aligns with the confirmation from various parliamentary sources who visited Ain al-Tineh and met Berri, notably the Deputy Speaker Elias Bou Saab, who assured "Nidaa al-Watan" that the atmosphere suggests a session for the budget next week.
While awaiting the announcement from the head of the Finance Committee regarding the completion of his report and its submission to Berri, and consequently revealing its content, it is also important to recall that during the discussions on the budget, the committee concluded with several key findings, the most important being that the discussions are based on choosing between the bad and the worse, and that this budget is valid for only four months. It is required to prepare a real budget that accompanies a reform plan for 2023, rather than merely calculating numbers and drafting a superficial budget.
The committee's report will also include the proposals made by the Finance Minister regarding the customs dollar price being between 10, 12, and 14 thousand lira, pending a decision from the General Assembly of the Council, knowing that this issue falls within the government's and the Minister of Finance's jurisdiction. The report will also include new revenues and expenses, in addition to all the observations and reservations submitted by the MPs, based on the premise that everyone must bear responsibility and not evade or distract from participating in making necessary decisions to ensure a minimal balance between expenditures and revenues, enabling the state's finances to meet the required needs in health, education, employment, and other sectors.
At a time when parliamentary sources called for looking into dark areas to secure funding sources and revenues for the treasury, such as maritime properties, customs control, tax evasion, and investigating profit ratios of major companies like oil companies, given that the country is undergoing exceptional circumstances but needs a budget to organize the state's management, there are some parties and blocs that have previously declared their rejection of the budget. For instance, the "Strong Republic" bloc, represented by MP Ghassan Hasbani, announced that the "Lebanese Forces" will not proceed with a budget lacking clarity in numbers and reforms.
Thus, we are facing hours and days separating us from a session to discuss and approve the general budget for the year 2022, indicating that the government formation file remains suspended, and the start of scheduling and invitations for sessions to elect a President of the Republic remains uncertain, at least for now.
