Labor Union: Approval of the Budget with the Improvements Made by the Finance Committee

The General Labor Union in Lebanon announced in a statement, that "after reviewing the draft budget for the year 2024, which was amended by the Parliamentary Finance and Budget Committee chaired by MP Ibrahim Kanaan and submitted to the General Assembly of the Parliament, the following is noted: - The cancellation of a large number of fees and taxes that the Cabinet had included in the budget proposal. - The inclusion of some fees that were imposed in the 2023 budget proposal. - The reduction of the deficit and the attempt to improve revenues and decrease expenditures. - The cancellation of several articles that the General Labor Union had requested to be repealed, including Article 62 and Article 63. - The reference to end-of-service compensations in the social security within Article 93, hence the necessity to address this article on sound grounds to achieve its intended purpose, and thus amend it accordingly. - Addressing family deductions and tax brackets to an acceptable extent based on the principles requested by the General Labor Union. - Increasing the budget for the Ministry of Health and allocating a specific monthly amount for cancer medications. Given that this budget is operational and not reformative, it should be approved with the improvements made by the Finance and Budget Committee led by MP Ibrahim Kanaan to avoid a decree that would lead us to random taxes and fees imposed in the proposed law submitted to Parliament. Therefore, we urge all parliamentary blocs to seek the approval of the budget after discussing it this week, as it represents a minimum requirement and falls within the realm of possibility, away from any reform vision for the public sector, social security funds, education, health, or any other sector. Emphasizing the principle of dialogue regarding the draft budget for 2025 with all relevant bodies, economists, experts, and legal authorities inside and outside Parliament to arrive at a reformative budget for 2025 that lays the foundation for the beginning of economic recovery."