The Civil Society Team for Public Budget Transparency appraised the Ministry of Finance and
Planning decision over “rationalization of expenditure” in addition to reducing the salary bill,
noting that it must not affect marginalized groups.
The CSTPBT has sent a letter to the Minister of Finance in order to adopt and publish a
comprehensive plan of action on rationalizing public expenditures, and the objectives to be
achieved, and to adopt a rationalization and austerity plan based on a participatory approach.
In its letter, the CS team emphasized that real rationalization is through rationalizing security
expenditures, canceling net lending, and stop consumer spending of building real-estate and
buying cars, and addressing the issue of more than 2000 security cars which are being used for
personal needs. Moreover, the team called the Ministry to be more open with civil society and
with the participatory approach, and that rationalization decisions must be fair and aims for
sustainable development. Most important recommendation was reducing the salaries of some
official individuals from non-ministerial public institutions pointing out that AMAN coalition
prepared a report on their salaries and privileges and have published a sample list, in addition
to the CS team report over rationalization and austerity including main objectives and
recommendations.
Mr.Shukri Bshara, Minister of Finance and Planning, pointed out that in the donors meeting
which will be held in Brussel next month will focus on rationalizing expenditures, through
reducing salary bills in 17% and to improve the mechanism of calculating the fund cut off from
the Israeli side for electricity, power, and water in addition to improving the health sector.
