Naharnet

Aoun Promises 'Economic Plan', Says Understands Citizens Dismay over Taxes

President Michel Aoun on Thursday promised that “a comprehensive economic plan” will be devised, noting that he “understands” citizens' dismay over the taxes that have been proposed to fund the wage scale of the public sector.

Speaking during a meeting with a delegation from the National Consultative Gathering of the Clans and Families of Baalbek-Hermel, Aoun said he “has always counted that the Lebanese people will cooperate in the fight against corruption and the waste of public funds.”

He also pledged to “achieve everything he committed himself to in the oath of office and the independence address, despite the accumulating internal and external crises that are weighing heavily on the work of the state's institutions and agencies,” according to a statement released by the Presidency.

The president noted that, in cooperation with the government and the relevant authorities, he is seeking to “devise a comprehensive economic plan that establishes a healthy economy and leads to a gradual improvement of the situations, seeing as problems that have been accumulating for 27 years cannot be eliminated in only a few months.”

Turning to the latest dismay over the new taxes that the parliament said it will approve in order to fund the new wage scale, Aoun said the taxes must target specific sectors and must be aimed at “improving the economic situation.”

“I'm not justifying taxes and I understand citizens' reaction, but there should be an economic program through which we would know how the revenues from taxes are being spent, in addition to improving the collection of the state's revenues,” Aoun added, noting that “corruption is eating up around half of these revenues.”


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