Majlis prioritizes economic reform plan

December 31, 2008 - 0:0

TEHRAN -- The Majlis has decided to make the national economic reform plan a single urgency issue on the parliament’s agenda.

On Tuesday, 127 MPs voted for the proposal, 85 voted against it, and 7 abstained.
The decision came as President Ahmadinejad and his economic team on Tuesday submitted the reform plan to the Majlis.
The plan is devised to redirect subsidies.
“One of the most important and influential bills on economic, political and social fields was submitted to the Majlis and fortunately, the representatives voted for its single urgency.”
Economic reform plan will affect national budget bill
The economic reform plan will affect the national budget bill, Ahmadinejad told reporters.
“I think that this (reform) plan will affect the (national) budget bill since we should make the necessary provisions in the budget bill.”
Ahmadinejad rejected reports that the cash payments of the subsidies have been dropped from the plan.
“Majlis Special Committee on the Economic Reform plan Chairman (Gholamreza Mesbahimoqadam) has rejected this news which had been quoted from him. Thus, there remains no place for discussion.”
A subsidy-based economy is ill
MP Rouhollah Hosseinian said a “subsidy-based economy” is ill that should undergo “surgery”.
“A subsidy-based economy is like a patient that needs constant injection to continue his life… and needs a surgery to return to natural life.”
Hosseinian, who was speaking as a proponent of the reform plan, added, “Today, the subsidies need to be removed to make the national economy healthy.”
The MP criticized the current state of subsidies.
“Currently… 70 percent of the subsidies go to 30 percent of people.