In the year of the pandemic, as the World Health Organization called it last March, when millions lose their jobs and their basic living, the government chooses to cut spending on food subsidies. Despite the exhaustion of the health system, headed by doctors and nurses in government hospitals, the government chose to complete its neglect of the constitutional minimum spending on health.
Files: National Budget
1 Sep 2020
The following points attempt to draw a picture of the labor market in Egypt, and point out its key shortcomings and imbalances, which are exacerbated with the crisis of Covid-19. The crisis, at the same time, opens a door for discussion and redress for some of these imbalances. The Egyptian law allows any employer to fire his employees, without any compensation or pension. When a worker gets sick, and he is the provider for his family, he often does not have health insurance that guarantees his treatment.
The Absence of Transparency: An Economic Cost and An Infringement on Citizens’ Constitutional Rights
The public budget, with both revenues and expenditures, is the mirror reflecting the government’s social and economic biases and the choices governments make for the citizenry.
The absence of effective, national channels for discussion or negotiation between the state and competing social forces, which would allow them to reach more fundamental solutions that reflect their competing interests, in order to contain the rancor on both sides.
The political administration reduced the budget deficit to under 10% using controversial economic measures without taking the necessary measures to protect the poor from the inevitable resulting inflation and increase in prices.
EIPR has issued a study titled, “Revisiting the Growth-Poverty Nexus in Egypt, with Reference to the World Bank Country Partnership Strategies.”
Continuing with the blackout approach by the regime, the Minister of Finance presents the 2013-2014 draft budget to the Shura Council without making it available to citizens.
The International Budget Partnership (IBP) has recently released the results of the Open Budget Survey (OBS) 2012, providing a comprehensive analysis of the state of budget transparency and accountability in countries around the world.
On Saturday, 4 June, Finance Minister Samir Radwan met with party leaders, economic experts and civil society representatives to discuss the new state budget for 2011-12, approved by the Cabinet on Wednesday, 1 June.
