Azour told LBCI’s Nharkom Said that the cost of the wage hike is higher than declared estimations, pointing out that increasing the Value Added Tax (VAT) as well as other taxes by 1% is not enough to cover the cost of the new pay scale.
He also noted that any economic decision should be taken in light of the current circumstances in the country, emphasizing that Lebanon currently makes for unfavorable conditions to pass the series of ranks and salaries since the state finance deficit has reached 11%.