Meanwhile deputies approved 12 items stated on parliament’s agenda pertaining to construction licenses, fees for travelers on private jets, and taxes on travelers by land.
At the onset of the session, Berri stressed that the Parliament does not legislate under pressure, calling on Education Minister Elias Abou Saab to urge the member of the Union Coordination Committee Hanna Gharib to apologize for his remarks launched Tuesday, whereby he described the deputies as “thieves.”
Prior to the session, Berri held talks with Prime Minister Tammam Salam, MP George Adwan and deputies from different parliamentary blocs, while the National Struggle Front held a press conference and tackled the bloc's stance over the pay scale.
The deputies are set to discuss means of funding the pay scale, noting that the draft law at hand comes close to the one proposed by the previous cabinet, where a ceiling for expenditure was set at LBP 1800 billion.
Today's session is also expected to tackle the search for sources to cover the gap that may arise from funding the series of ranks and salaries, such as increasing the Value Added Tax (VAT) rate.
Meanwhile, the Union Coordinating Committee held a demonstration in order to exert pressure on the deputies to pass the pay scale draft law. For the full report, please click on the VIDEO above