Bahrain Mirror: Member of Bahraini Parliament, Ahmed Qarata, said the government proposed lifting subsidies on 22 commodities and services or will add them to the list of decisions to be studied, stating that the minor committee assigned to review the redirection of subsidies and development of government revenues in the Parliament only received information about 9 of these commodities and services, including meat, poultry and electricity, adding that the information is incomplete and needs more explanation.

"The right decision now is not asking the government to postpone the lift of subsidies until next October. However, all the decisions should be postponed until the budget of the two fiscal years 2017 and 2018 is issued, for the government has already allocated the subsidies for the approved budget of 2015 and 2016," Qarata added.

"The government has priced the oil barrel at 60 dollars in the current budget, and we see today that the prices have reached almost 40 dollars. Thus, the government was supposed to price the oil barrel according to the most appropriate estimation, so that we wouldn't be obliged to incur more debts or resort to speedy and ill-considered decisions, in order to reduce the budget deficit, as the recent decision to lift subsidies on meat," the MP further stated.

Arabic Issue