The Union of Butchers and Livestock Traders expressed its discontent regarding the exceptional support tax of 10%, stating its opposition to this tax. The union issued the following statement: "In light of the approval of the budget and the addition of a clause related to imposing an exceptional tax of 10% on companies that benefited from support from the Central Bank of Lebanon, the Union of Butchers and Livestock Traders would like to clarify the following:
1. The primary and ultimate beneficiary of the support is the Lebanese consumer at prices studied carefully and determined by the Ministry of Economy.
2. The Central Bank has deducted 55% from the balances of all companies owed to it, estimated at tens of millions of dollars, knowing that it had previously agreed with the Ministry of Economy and Trade to commission international auditing firms at the companies' expense to audit the accounts of all companies to ensure the accuracy of their records. However, it later deleted 55% of the amounts, claiming "we don't have the money to pay."
3. In addition to the above, there are significant losses for some companies, as some shipments were sold at the subsidized price at the request of the Ministry of Economy, and the Central Bank did not cover any amounts for the importing companies at all, estimated at millions of dollars.
4. It is astonishing how some parliamentarians propose an additional 10% on the volume of business of companies that participated in support randomly, without study and without considering the profit margins of these companies. It should be noted that the profits of livestock importing companies do not exceed one-third of the amount proposed.
5. How can a law be proposed to impose an unjust tax retroactively for 3 years on companies whose only concern is to implement the support law that was presented with the approval of the officials?
6. It is important to note that the Ministry of Finance conducted a study several months ago on all companies importing livestock that participated in the support, examining their profits and records. In this context, the Ministry of Finance can be consulted to ascertain the numbers and profits.
7. The union announces that all livestock importers pay their taxes annually based on actual profits.
Based on the aforementioned points, we join our voice with that of the economic bodies that have warned that "the first to be harmed by this tax will be the national economy and legitimate institutions that adhered to support mechanisms transparently, as well as the chaos it will create in markets and the confusion among various institutions and citizens, at a time when everyone is in need of no additional problems, 'because what we have is enough for us.'"
