A Government News Agency: The Poverty Line Exceeds 25 Million Tomans

A government news agency affiliated with security institutions reported that, according to an inspector from the Supreme Assembly of Workers' Representatives, the current poverty line for a family of four has surpassed 25 million tomans. Hamidreza Imam Gholi Tabar stated in an interview with the 'Tasnim' news agency: 'Workers' wages cannot cover even fifty percent of their livelihood.' Imam Gholi Tabar emphasized that 'the ridiculous scenario that claims wages cause inflation' failed last year with a 27% wage increase and 45% inflation, proving that wage increases are not related to inflation. In line with these statements and the acknowledgment of a significant portion of the population falling below the poverty line and into absolute poverty, an economist in Iran stated on October 18 that, in the most optimistic scenario, 30 million people are living below the absolute poverty line. Morteza Afagh considers the population of over 60 million receiving livelihood subsidies as evidence of the official poverty level of this amount of the country's population. In June of this year, the Research Center of the Parliament reported on the intensification of poverty over the past decade, noting that 'poverty' no longer only affects 'low-income households.' The report emphasized that in recent years, the population below the poverty line has increased, with 'one-third of the population living below the poverty line,' but households above the poverty line also do not have a significant difference in welfare and income compared to those below the poverty line, and in practice, the middle class is not far from becoming impoverished. In such circumstances, the government and parliament have determined a 20% salary increase for employees for the next year, and the government is trying, as it did last year, to push the determination of the wage increase for workers to the last moments, ultimately imposing a 20% wage increase on workers. Experts have stated that the plan to increase the electronic coupon by 220,000 tomans will not solve the problem. The wages of workers are crushed under inflation; a member of the Supreme Labor Council stated that the cost of living basket exceeds '23 million and 500 thousand tomans.' A controversial resolution is set to be implemented from Farvardin regarding 'increasing the retirement age.' The economic situation of 'white-collar workers' is also dire; retirees have taken on multiple jobs. A newspaper criticized President Raisi's government, claiming that economic statistics from both inside and outside are false. Inflation has reached 'death'; the cost of transporting corpses has skyrocketed. The increase in inflation and unemployment rates has raised the misery index in 14 provinces of Iran.