Lebanon: Precautionary Economic & Financial Measures to Prevent the Total Collapse

  • Beirut, Lebanon
  • 24 March 2020
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With the escalation of the living crisis in Lebanon and the exacerbation of the consumer prices, the Minister of Finance Ghazi Wazni issued a decision to suspend all deadlines related to the duties incurred by taxpayers and fees that are collected by the Public Finance Directorate.

Riad Salamé, the Governor of the Banque du Liban, issued a circular on the facilities that the Central Bank can grant to banks and financial institutions and included an intermediate decision to carry the number 13213, with the aim of preserving the public interest in the current exceptional circumstances that the country is going through, and based on the powers that accrue to the Governor in order to secure the work of the Banque du Liban based on the principle of continuity of the public facility.

In this regard, the Governor of the Banque du Liban stated that the aim of the circular is to assist the Lebanese during the difficult period, so that the institutions do not have to close their doors and dispense with their employees.

He pointed out that "Lebanon has experienced 3 shocks in the last period: the first in October with the closure of banks, the second with default (the payment of debts), and the third because of Corona, and our aim from the circular is that institutions be able to pay the salaries of employees and pay off their debts, as well as helping all those who have subsidized loans such as housing, industrialists or others to postpone their debts due within the next 3 months, by paying them in five years with zero percent interest.

Source (The New Arab Newspaper, Edited)