Continued Conflict Between Parliament and Government; A Representative: The Media Commotion by 'Manzoor' is Due to Employee Salaries

In the ongoing dispute between Parliament and the Government over the 2024 budget bill, the spokesperson for the 'Consolidation Commission' of the budget bill described the statement issued by the 'Planning and Budget Organization' as a 'media commotion' by Davood Manzoor, the head of this organization, due to the commission's vote to increase employee salaries by 2%. This parliament member stated that the 'Planning and Budget Organization' should pull the brakes on 'wasteful spending' instead of increasing prices. Rahim Zareh, on Wednesday, January 17, during a press conference, asserted that any changes to the budget bill are the right of Parliament, and mentioned that the establishment of special allowances for certain occupational groups is influenced by their problems and needs. According to this parliament member, the budget bill was facing a severe deficit at the time of its submission to Parliament, and the resolution of livelihood issues, especially the salary problems of certain groups, was not addressed. The report indicates that yesterday the 'Planning and Budget Organization' rejected the decisions of the 2024 budget consolidation commission in a statement, emphasizing that these decisions are not final and have created a 'financial burden' by the commission. In the announcement issued by the 'Planning and Budget Organization' addressed to the public, it was stated that the representatives of the budget consolidation commission approved several supplementary provisions whose financial coverage was not provided and predicted, despite the opposition of government representatives. Now, the spokesperson for the budget consolidation commission claims that the organization's displeasure stems from the 20% salary increase for employees instead of the 18% that the government had planned. According to Rahim Zareh, the 'Planning and Budget Organization' should seek to improve the livelihood conditions of certain salary earners through some savings and 'pull the brakes on wasteful spending.' The dispute over the 2024 budget; the reaction of the 'Planning and Budget Organization' to the decisions of the consolidation commission: the decisions have financial implications and are not final. Tax disputes in the media; 'ILNA' criticized the low taxes of gold sellers and real estate brokers. A gathering of retired educators in front of the Planning and Budget Organization in Tehran. A union official stated: with the implementation of the seventh development plan bill next year, the salaries of retirees will decrease by 20%.