Bahrain Mirror: Al-Watan newspaper that has close ties with the Bahraini Royal Court reported that the government will compensate 179 thousand families after redirecting gasoline subsidies by a monthly amount reaching 4 million and 475 thousand BD, whereas the minor committee assigned to review the redirection of subsidies and development of government revenues demanded a compensation that reaches up to 71 million and 600 thousand BD.

The newspaper reported in its publication last Friday from a well-informed source that the government delegation of petroleum products proposed that the minor committee compensates every Bahraini family with 25 BD each month after lifting the subsidies on gasoline. Meanwhile, the members of the minor committee called for compensating each Bahraini family with an amount of money ranging from 350 to 400 BD each month.

According to the newspaper, the source, who preferred to not mention his name, said that the government delegation did now disclose when they will start implementing lifting the subsidies on fuel as well as the expected rise of oil prices after the decision comes into effect.

It added that the government delegation proposed providing 250 liters of gasoline to each Bahraini family worth 25 BD per month, stressing that the minor committee demanded that each citizen owning a car is to benefit from the subsidies. It also indicared that the members asked the government to compensate each family with an amount ranging from 350 to 400 BD. The source said that "the government did not take the number of family members into account."

It also indicated that the government delegation requested completing the conditions that were agreed upon, meanwhile the minor committee saw that the redirection of subsidies on petroleum products should be completed as one package.

The information proposed by the government delegation to the minor committee reveals that the number of Bahraini families that will benefit from redirecting the subsidies on gasoline reached up to 179 thousand.

The minor Parliamentary committee met with the government delegation last Wednesday and they agreed on a mechanism to redirect the subsidies on kerosene and Diesel, as the total benefits from redirecting Kerosene and Diesel within 5 years amounts to 43 million, 406 thousand and 456 BD.

The joint minor committee agreed with the governmental side that next week will witness the last meeting to settle the petroleum products issue. The government delegation has proposed information and detailed data about the executive steps that the government aims at implementing regarding the redirection of subsidies on Diesel and Kerosene. 

Arabic Issue