Panel okays Tabtabaie’s proposal to cancel decision to hike fuel prices

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Subsidies, salaries OK’d according to budget

KUWAIT CITY, Feb 4: Parliament’s Financial and Economic Committee approved the proposal of MP Waleed Al-Tabtabaie to cancel the decision enforced in Sept 1, 2016 to increase the fuel prices, reports Aljarida daily. Rapporteur of the committee MP Saleh Al-Ashour said the National Assembly Speaker had referred this proposal to the committee on Jan 4, 2017 to study it and prepare a report on it. He revealed that the committee held a meeting on Dec 6, 2017 during which it reviewed the proposal, which claimed that the decision was not studied carefully and insisted that the proposal was focused on reducing the financial burdens of citizens.

Meanwhile, the committee rejected the proposal of MP Askar Al-Enezi to obligate the government to pay basic salary and social allowance to citizens who submitted job applications to the Civil Service Commission (CSC) and have been waiting for more than six months for a job. The proposal suggested determining the basic salaries and social allowances based on the qualifications of the applicants. It also suggested that waiting period above six months must be included in the service period when the concerned citizen is referred for retirement.

Meanwhile, the Cabinet has approved subsidies and salaries according to the budget for fiscal 2018/2019 and the plan was referred to the Parliament to be discussed by the relevant parliamentary committees as a prelude for approval before March 31, 2018, reports Al-Anba daily.

The daily obtained a copy of the plan which states that subsidies valued at KD 3.5 billion were distributed to six main sectors as follows: KD 1.6 billion for energy and fuel, KD 633 million for education (financial aid and rewards for students), KD 371 million for housing (rent allowance and the like), KD 305.5 million for health (overseas treatment), KD 46 million for sports and KD 30 million for economic subsidy. In addition, the agricultural subsidy amounted to KD 25 million while the media subsidy reached KD 110,000 and the distribution of local newspapers in ministries for free will continue. Expenditures for salaries and the like are distributed as follows: KD 2.2 billion for contribution from the public treasury to social security, KD 510 million for supporting nationals employed in the private sector, KD 293 million for social care, and the salaries of employees in ministries and other public institutions reached KD 7 billion — KD 211 million for judiciary employees, KD 909 million for those employed in relevant bodies and KD 129 million for those working in independent institutions.

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