Parliament's Resolution for Distribution of Basic Goods with 'Electronic Coupons' Next Year

Iranian parliament representatives approved a resolution during the review of the 2019 budget, which, if confirmed by the Guardian Council, will allow basic goods to be imported with state currency and distributed among the people using 'electronic coupons' next year. According to ISNA news agency, on Saturday, March 2, parliament representatives agreed to allocate $14 billion for the provision of basic and medicinal goods at state currency rates. Based on this resolution, the government is required to import or purchase basic goods, including medicine, medical equipment, and agricultural and livestock inputs such as soybean meal and barley, using state currency. Parliament representatives also approved that the government should use 'electronic coupons' for the distribution of these goods. According to this resolution, the government is obligated to report its performance in this regard to the budget, economy, agriculture, and industry commissions of the parliament every three months. Ahmad Midari, the Deputy Minister of Cooperatives, Labor, and Social Welfare, announced on Sunday, September 16, that this ministry has proposed a plan to allocate 'goods cards' to 10 million people with a monthly amount of 100,000 tomans to the government. According to Mr. Midari, in this plan, the bank cards of individuals receiving subsidies will be converted into 'goods cards,' allowing them to receive basic goods at designated amounts from stores. Iranian media has referred to the 'goods card' as 'electronic coupons.' This plan is reminiscent of the Iran-Iraq war period when some food items, including meat, rice, and sugar, were distributed among the people using coupons for eight years and several years afterward. In recent months, the government has also provided support packages to certain groups to compensate for the economic impacts of U.S. sanctions. Individuals receiving this money cannot withdraw it from their accounts and can only purchase 'basic goods (food items).' The U.S. exit from the JCPOA and the re-imposition of sanctions against Tehran have led to the depreciation of the national currency and the bankruptcy of many Iranian industries in recent months, with people even facing shortages of baby diapers for a period. Additionally, reports have emerged of long queues forming for purchasing state-subsidized meat, along with incidents of conflict in some of these queues.