In the shadows of bureaucracy: The budget's impact on new fees

Report by Yara Dargham, English adaptation by Karine Keuchkerian.

In the coming days, visiting public administrations will be quick. Why? 

When going to issue an individual Civil Status Abstract (Ekhraj Eid), for example, they will ask for a selected stamp worth LBP 50,000. The new stamp, which was approved by the general budget, has no paper or electronic alternative. Thus, the visit will be in vain.

The issue does not only lie here, as the mukhtars, which are the only entities that provide applications for personal documents such as Civil Status Abstracts, birth and marriage certificates, and death certificates, are objecting to the general budget that was approved and stipulated the increase in fees for these transactions.

The mukhtars are calling for the suspension of Article 66 of the General Budget Law related to fees imposed on personal status transactions and the adjustment of fees they consider unfair to citizens, as well as impractical.

The mukhtars have organized protests in various areas and met with the Minister of Interior to raise their voices after threatening to stop working.

Even with the implementation of the new fee mechanism after securing the stamps, the citizen will remain the "weakest link."

Logically, fees and taxes should be proportionate to the changing exchange rate. However, a large number of Lebanese, especially public sector employees and military personnel, still receive their salaries in Lebanese lira. The cost of these transactions is a burden on them.