Report: Khalil ‘Appeases’ Collapse Fears, Says No Tax on Fuel

Finance Minister Ali Hassan Khalil appeased concerns of an economic collapse saying “everything said was the result of rumors some find easy to circulate around,” al-Joumhouria daily reported on Friday.

In remarks to the newspaper about the government’s efforts to approve Lebanon’s 2019 state budget, he said: “Our aim is to take out a budget in the form that restores public finances, what we are trying to do is to reduce the deficit to below 9 percent.”

He said people should not be concerned because “everything said was the result of rumors and mere talk that some find easy to circulate around without any basis.”

In response to question on the possibility of increasing the fuel prices, Khalil said: “The issue of gasoline fees has not been discussed at all, and all the rumors about the increases are baseless rumors, the same is related to what has been said about the increase in value added tax."