Syed Hussein Al -Qassab
The First Vice-President of the Shura Council, Jamal Fakhro, stressed the importance of taking into account the general budget for the two years 2025-2026, the interests of citizens, without imposing any additional financial burdens on them.
This came during the extraordinary session of the Council, which was devoted to discussing the budget project, where Fakhro stressed the need for the government to adhere to the directives of His Highness the Crown Prince not to download the limited income groups any new financial pressure, indicating that some government legislation reflected this trend clearly.
Fakhro expressed his appreciation to the ministers and assistant agents for the information they provided during the consultative meetings, which contributed to clarifying the government’s tendencies on the budget.
He pointed to a number of issues that require focus, including the need to improve the income of citizens by raising their productivity and linking the benefits and rewards to the return of work, in addition to supporting small and medium enterprises as a basic pillar of the national economy.
With regard to the unemployment file, Fakhro affirmed that the Ministry of Labor’s commitment to employ 8,000 graduates is a positive step, but it is not sufficient, in light of the presence of 17,500 unemployed, in addition to graduating between 7000 and 8,000 students annually, which requires the development of a comprehensive plan to accommodate everyone, given that improving the standard of living begins to provide job opportunities.
He also called for the necessity of reducing the annual deficit by reducing repeated expenses or finding new sources of revenues, warning that postponing or canceling some initiatives may negatively affect the limited income groups, stressing the importance of consulting with the relevant authorities before taking decisions that may affect citizens directly.
