Govt vows no return to old energy prices

Govt vows no return to old energy prices

KUWAIT: The government affirmed that reviewing subsidies on services is a priority for the authorities in the country, rejecting parliamentary proposals to revert to pre-2016 prices of fuel, electricity and water. Ministerial sources said such proposals are only for media and electoral consumption and have nothing to do with governmental and parliamentary aspirations in addressing the imbalance in the state budget, indicating the government wants to improve living conditions, but not by reducing prices of electricity and fuel.

The sources added prices have a tendency to rise and not go down due to the enormous pressure these state-supported services cause on the public budget. The sources claimed the defect in Kuwait with regard to subsidies is that the majority of benefits go to expatriates and not citizens. The sources said electricity prices will be increased in the coming period, with Kuwaitis to pay the electricity and water tariffs at old prices for one house, and if they own more than one house, the bills will be paid at the new rates.

The sources indicated that all subsidies will be directed to citizens with low incomes, while those with high incomes will not receive support, including subsidized food rations. Five MPs called on