DUBAI: Oman posted a budget deficit of 751.4 million rials ($1.96 billion) in the first three months of this year as public revenues tumbled 30.5 per cent due to the Covid-19 pandemic and lower oil prices, the ministry of finance said yesterday. The country has been struggling over the past few years as it piled up debt to offset a decline in oil revenues while reforms to diversify its economy lagged.
Net oil revenue declined by 34.2pc in the first quarter from a year earlier, the ministry said in a report.
“This is attributable to low oil prices and economic implications triggered by Covid-19 pandemic,” the ministry said.
Public spending fell by 2.7pc in the first quarter from a year earlier partly because of efforts to contain costs in various government units, said the ministry. To improve fiscal efficiency and bolster its debt-burdened finances, Oman introduced a 5pc value-added tax last month.
In a first among Gulf states, the sultanate is also planning to introduce income tax on high earners starting next year, as part of plans to bring down its deficit.