Tendency to differentiate fees for Govt services between Kuwaitis & expatriates

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KUWAIT CITY, Sept 10: Parallel to the Cabinet’s decision to set limits on financial spending for the next three years, informed government sources revealed about a recent governmental move aimed at reviewing the fees for all services provided by the state to citizens and expatriates in its various ministries and institutions, reports Al-Rai daily. They said, “There is a tendency to differentiate the fees for the government services between citizens and expatriates, according to the type of service provided by the state. This comes within the framework of the financial reform steps to correct the imbalance, address the budget deficit, and raise the proportion of state’s non-oil revenues.

According to recent statistics, the number of Kuwaitis represents about 31 percent of the total population compared to 69 percent non-Kuwaitis. In light of the current situation, government services are mostly provided at the same fees for citizens and expatriates. However, studies confirm the possibility of offering the services by imposing different fees for Kuwaitis compared to residents.

The various ministries and bodies are working on preparing detailed regulations for the services they provide and their fees, as the Ministry of Finance requested the classification of these services and the type of beneficiaries among citizens, expatriates and visitors, in preparation for the study of services and fees provided by the state to citizens and residents in a comprehensive manner. It is scheduled for the ministries and authorities to determine the list of services they provide and their costs, and the fees for which they are collected, in addition to providing detailed statistics on the number of beneficiaries including citizens and expatriates.

The government will work to conduct a comprehensive review of service fees and the amendments that were made previously, to determine their compatibility with the changes taking place in various fields, and to know the requirements of any proposed amendment and whether it requires legislation or a decision, in addition to the serious trend that the fees for services that expatriates benefit from are different from what citizens pay”.

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