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, noting 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 stressed 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 with job opportunities.
He also called for the necessity of reducing the annual deficit by reducing frequent 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.
He raised a number of technical questions about the state’s revenues, stressing the need to clarify some of the differences that may affect the financial balance.
Fakhro asked why oil and gas revenues decreased in the budget, although the price of the barrel is still at 60 dollars, noting that the oil revenues were 2.3 billion dinars in 2024, but it decreased to 1.5 billion in 2025, then it increased slightly to 1.6 billion in 2026, which means a decrease of 500 million dinars, which will be reflected in the financial deficit.
With regard to customs affairs revenues, Fakhro inquired about the reason for its continuous decline, as it decreased from 174 million dinars in 2017 to only 110 million in 2024, despite talking about the growth of the economy, which calls for an explanation for this decline.
He also asked about the large jump in the item of “other non -oil revenues”, which increased from 572 million dinars in 2024 to 846 million in 2026, an increase of 232 million dinars, calling for clarifying the source of this increase.
Fakhro concluded his intervention by emphasizing that the government has made clear efforts during the past years to achieve financial balance, describing the results as “reasonable”, but it still needs more transparency and realism in numbers and policies to ensure the sustainability of financial and economic stability.
