TEHRAN - The Government's Economic Coordination Headquarters in its latest gathering approved a comprehensive package for supporting corona-affected sectors in the current Iranian calendar year (started on March 21).

According to Vice President for Economic Affairs Mohammad Nahavandian, the mentioned economic package has been prepared and also approved by the National Headquarters for Coronavirus Control, IRIB reported.

The official noted that the government spent over 770 trillion rials (about $18.3 billion) for supporting businesses and people negatively affected by the coronavirus pandemic in the previous year and this year to new programs will be implemented in this regard.

The mentioned package includes tax relief provisions, allocating facilities to the affected businesses, postponing the settlement of previous bank loans, postponing the payment of employers’ insurance share, the extension of payment of bank dues and etc., Nahavandian said.

Under the framework of the said package, 14 business groups affected by the pandemic will be waivered from paying tax dues until September 22.

The businesses can also receive bank facilities with low-interest rates to compensate for their damages. They will be able to apply for the mentioned facilities until September 22 and the banks are obliged to pay the mentioned facilities by late November.

Severely affected businesses can also postpone the payment of their employer's insurance share in the two-month period starting from April 21. Also, according to the National Headquarters for Coronavirus Control, companies that provide public services should not be cut off from electricity and gas networks if their bills are not paid on time, according to the official.

Since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic in Iran, the government has been implementing several programs for supporting the sectors affected by the pandemic.

Earlier on Monday, Finance and Economic Affairs Minister Farhad Dejpasand said his ministry has considered special tax-related support for sectors negatively affected by the coronavirus pandemic.

“Our tourism industry has had special conditions in the past year, and the food and hotel industries have also experienced severe damage due to the outbreak of the coronavirus, so they have been among the sectors exempted from tax payment,” Dejpasand said.

EF/MA