Discussions on the draft state budget are set to conclude today, leading to a vote after Speaker Nabih Berri adjourned the session yesterday evening until three in the afternoon. During the session, MPs will hear the government's response to the points raised by forty-one deputies who spoke over the course of the legislative session. Among the last speakers was Hadi Abu al-Hassan, Secretary of the Democratic Gathering bloc, who posed three questions to the government regarding measures to enhance revenues from maritime properties, the stockpiles of quarries that generate no revenue for the treasury, and issues related to tax and customs evasion. Abu al-Hassan indicated that the Democratic Gathering would introduce two bill proposals regarding points raised by MP Wael Abou Faour about imposing a tax on those who benefitted from the Sayrafa platform and levying taxes on those profiting from smuggling.
Member of the Democratic Gathering, MP Bilal Abdullah, emphasized the need to raise the minimum wage and called for an increase in social security contributions. Political sources following the MPs' discussions, as reported by "Anbaa" electronic media, anticipated that the budget would be approved with the amendments made by the Parliamentary Finance and Budget Committee, with a consensus from the majority of parliamentary blocs, as it is seen as the best possible option under current circumstances. The sources noted that everyone is aware "such a budget does not meet the ambitions of the Lebanese people, but it is necessary for the orderly allocation of funds for projects and expenditures the government is obliged to adhere to, rather than spending based on the twelve-year plan."
MP Charbel Maroun, a member of the Strong Lebanon bloc, reiterated what the bloc's leader, MP Gibran Bassil, had said regarding the inflated figures in the budget submitted by the caretaker government, which he claimed made numerous mistakes, undermined the national pact, and neglected the country’s situation as if nothing had happened amid the vacancy, impoverishing the people and stealing depositors' funds, while the banking authority benefited from the failure to pay depositors' rights, managing badly in many areas, as he put it.
Maroun added: "Our view on this matter, as we explained during the discussion, is that the Finance Committee has done its duty; it is not a budget for a recovering country, yet despite that, I expect its approval by the majority of members following the amendments." He stopped to point out the government's expenditure of $1.35 billion without accountability and without going through Parliament, and regarded the approval of the budget without regulating administration and implementing reforms as “not serving the country's interests.” He questioned: "How can we look to a strong state while the government allows real estate departments to close for three years? Instead of organizing a capital control law, it permits some to smuggle their money abroad while depositors are denied access to their funds? At the very least, we should know who stole from the people and what is the government's clear plan for addressing the Syrian displacement issue."
In political matters, a meeting of ambassadors from the quintet committee took place yesterday at the residence of Saudi Ambassador Walid Bukhari in Yerzeh, though no final information from the meeting has surfaced. This occurs ahead of a scheduled meeting of the quintet foreign ministers in Riyadh. Commenting on the quintet ambassadors' meeting, Maroun said: "While we respect the efforts of the quintet committee, we must reach an understanding among ourselves to produce a president who brings about a positive shock and tackles all unresolved issues." However, if the understanding Maroun mentions remains locally unattainable due to the obstinacy of the concerned political parties that complicate this internal consensus, it is regrettable to state that there is no internal solution on the horizon for the presidency, while awaiting external committees may prolong the vacancy further. Meanwhile, the country can no longer bear this situation.
