Kanaan from Bkerke: Budget items completed and no tax increases

Head of the Finance and Budget Committee MP Ibrahim Kanaan announced, after meeting Maronite Patriarch Cardinal Mar Bechara Boutros al-Rahi in Bkerke, that discussion of the budget items has been completed, stressing his rejection of tax increases amid a contracting economy and depositors' funds being held in banks. He explained that the suspended items relate to existing fees that ministries proposed amending after the exchange rate collapse, not newly introduced fees. The meeting addressed the situation in Lebanon and the region, and Kanaan affirmed that Lebanon has taken a step toward activating the state's role and exiting the axis policy, praising the role of the Maronite Patriarchate and its stance in support of the state option.