Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati held on Tuesday a cabinet session at the Grand Serail, during which the General Budget Law for the year 2024 was approved.
In attendance at the session were Deputy Prime Minister Saadeh El Shami and the following ministers: Education and Higher Education Minister Abbas El-Halabi, Information Minister Ziad El-Makari, Youth and Sports Minister George Kalass, Finance Minister Youssef El-Khalil, Minister of State for Administrative Development Affairs Najla Riachi, Industry Minister George Boushikian, Telecommunications Minister Johnny Al-Qurm, Interior and Municipalities Minister Judge Bassam Mawlawi, Health Minister Firas Al-Abyad, Culture Minister Judge Mohammed Wissam Al-Mourtada, Labor Minister Mustafa Beyram, Public Works and Transportation Minister Ali Hamieh, Economy Minister Amin Salam, Displaced Persons Minister Issam Sharafeddine, and Environment Minister Nasser Yassin. Also present were the Director-General of the Presidency of the Republic Antoine Choucair, the Secretary-General of the Council of Ministers, Judge Mahmoud Makieh, and the Director-General of the Ministry of Finance, George Maarawi.
At the end of the session, Mikati said in a live press conference that the cabinet approved the budget for the year 2024.
"I would like to say that this is the first budget to be approved on time since 2002, before the start of the second session of the Parliament, which is a significant achievement. This would not have been possible without the employees' efforts in the Ministry of Finance and its working team. I consider it an achievement and a heroic effort because we are aware of the resources and capabilities available today in public administration. It was very challenging to accomplish this budget at this particular time," he noted.
"I can say that the budget is acceptable and has received complete consensus from the Cabinet for adoption, and at the end of the week, it will be referred to the honorable Parliament."
Mikati stressed that, in a parallel manner, there are committees that will be formed headed by the Deputy Prime Minister to develop a draft unified income tax law, a draft amendment to the public accounting law, and restructuring the public sector and public institutions, a body to investigate, coordinate and set standards for information systems in the Lebanese state, reform customs and control evasion of registration in the value-added tax and the tax on luxury goods, all of which will be issued as soon as possible.
"The decisions that require the issuance of decrees will be issued by decrees because there are laws," he explained.
"It allows us to issue these decisions by decrees in the Council of Ministers. We will send draft laws to the Parliament for approval to complete the necessary reform topics," Mikati continued.