TEN MPs have renewed their calls for the government to review the living conditions of Bahrainis who have been hit hard by soaring prices.
They highlighted positive economic indicators revealed by the government this week – and urged the authorities to ramp up support for the needy and low-income families.
They called on Parliament Speaker Fouzia Zainal to request a meeting with the government to discuss inflation and measures to ease the cost of living crisis.
The MPs who submitted the written request are Parliament first vice-chairman Abdulnabi Salman, Yousif Zainal, Khalid Bu Onk, Mohammed Buhamood, Zainab Abdulameer, Sayed Falah Sayed Hashem, Mamdooh Al Saleh, Mahmood Al Bahrani, Ebrahim Al Nefaei and Ammar Al Mukhtar.
They had submitted a request two months ago urging the government to slash the Value-Added Tax (VAT) and provide additional financial support to help citizens cope with inflation.
“An urgent meeting with the government is essential to discuss the livelihood and financial situation of Bahrainis. We also need to review the support policies as it has been done in neighbouring countries,” said Bahrainisation Committee chairman Mr Al Nefaei in an official statement.
“Cancellation of the additional five per cent VAT imposed in the beginning of this year and restoration of the 3pc annual increase for pensioners are among popular demands to improve the living conditions of citizens.
“If no real solutions are found, it will lead to further deterioration of living conditions for a large segment of citizens and this isn’t acceptable to our wise leadership.
“The government has been harnessing its programmes to serve and enhance the living and economic situation while strengthening the purchasing power of citizens.”
Their renewed call follows the Cabinet’s report highlighting that Bahrain’s efforts to achieve fiscal balance and optimise budget expenditure have paid off as actual revenues soared by 52pc during the first six months of 2022, compared with the same period last year.
The GDN reported on Tuesday that the government has also managed to maintain spending levels as stipulated in the general budget, which helped save BD33 million.
The fiscal policy also contributed to reducing the financing needs for repayment of international bonds of public debt, including bonds worth $1.5 billion (BD565m), which were repaid until last July – due to the rise in oil prices in international markets.
“These surpluses were the result of the financial policies adopted and they are preliminary indicators of their success, which has led to the improvement of Bahrain’s financial situation,” said the 10 MPs in a joint statement.
“We call on the Parliament Speaker, based on her position and responsibilities, to seriously follow up on our proposal and request a meeting with the government.
“We also renew our call to the government to take suitable measures to support citizens whose purchasing power has evidently decreased in the past few months.”
The GDN reported in July, that His Majesty King Hamad issued directives to distribute additional support for low-income families to counter the effects of rising global prices.
His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, ordered the Social Development Ministry and other relevant authorities to grant an additional month of financial support to low-income families ahead of the Eid Al Adha holiday.
Social Development Minister Osama Al Asfoor revealed that almost 128,000 families benefited from the move.
Surging energy prices in Europe, in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, is the main driver of inflation that has affected world economies with millions of households struggling to pay higher bills.
For example, UK inflation topped 10 per cent, highest since 1982, while the Central Bank of Bahrain raised interest rates last month in light of developments in international financial markets.
reem@gdnmedia.bh
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