Kanaan: The Budget Came Out As Good As Possible

The Chairman of the Finance and Budget Committee, MP Ibrahim Kanaan, confirmed that "the budget as approved in the Parliament came out as good as possible, curbing the government's ambitious tax proposals and correcting tax amendments in line with the inflation rate in light of the collapse affecting the lira so that the state can continue." He stated in an interview with Voice of Lebanon Radio: "After we discovered the existence of 80 trillion in treasury advances and halted them, referring the violators to the judiciary, we learned that the government began preparing a draft law to consolidate these advances and send it to the Parliament. This matter will not be subject to any settlement because public money belongs to the people, and we will not compromise on it." He added: "We demand the government to complete the restructuring of banks and refer it to the Parliament and to genuinely dive into the recovery process, so that depositors know their rights and how to retrieve their funds, rather than having a project that is a mere 'hanging paper.' He clarified that "what is required is to elect a project, not just an individual, and there is an opportunity for a Lebanese initiative to stop the political forces from squabbling over power and external polarization. The external solution might be forced upon us."