Government stresses need to collect debts owed by people

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‘No official has right to cancel debts’

KUWAIT CITY, Aug 13: The Council of Ministers stresses on the need to collect debts owed to the government by people who benefit from the government services by all ways and to the extent of taking legal if need be, reports Al- Anba daily quoting senior government sources.

The sources said these debts are public funds payable without any complacency, inaction or concession. The sources pointed out that no official has the right to drop off debts that exceed more than 5 thousand dinars or even exempt part of them.

The sources denied the existence of any tendency to study the cancellation of some debts without referring the issue to the Council of Ministers. The sources revealed the government has approved several measures to increase the collection of these debts and prevent the accumulation. One of the most important procedures is to go for automatic link between the ministries to help collect the debts before agreeing to provide a new service, and to coordinate with the Public Authority for Civil Information to provide data of those who owe debts, and to provide multiple facilities in payment instruments.

The sources confirmed that the adoption of the system of prepayment before providing new services has greatly contributed to the nonaccumulation of more debts owed to the government. The sources pointed out that the government has obliged the ministries to submit a report twice a year, including details of their efforts in the area of collecting money owed to the government complete with statistical data on the money collected and the outstanding amount.

In response to a question about exempting government employees upon retirement or exempting the heirs upon the death of the employee from debts owed if it is less than 5,000 dinars, the sources said, it is organized according to the decisions issued by the Council of Ministers and circulars issued by the Ministry of Finance, which includes the conditions and controls required before submitting an application. The exemption after the submission of the application must be submitted for study to the Fatwa and Legislation Department and must be approved by the Minister of Finance before exemption.

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