Finance Minister: The government will remain committed to paying salaries at rates determined by available financial resources

SadaNews - On Monday, Finance and Planning Minister Istifan Salama presented the general features of the emergency budget for the year 2026 to representatives of civil society institutions. The budget is based on spending the available cash flows to the public treasury according to priorities that contribute to addressing existential risks and current regional challenges. This was during a consultative workshop held by the Ministry of Finance and Planning, where Salama emphasized the government's commitment to paying a percentage of employee salaries based on the available financial resources each month, with a focus on the sectors of education, health, and security. He clarified that the cash budget would not affect the poor categories and would focus on sustaining basic services. The Finance and Planning Minister confirmed that the government follows an approach of extensive community consultations on public policies to ensure the preparation of a budget that reflects the current Palestinian reality, amid the continued detention of Israeli government funds for Palestinian clearance for the tenth consecutive month, which constitutes about 70% of government revenues, in addition to the absence of serious international commitments at this stage to support the public treasury. Salama stressed that the budget project considers the interests of the poor and low-income groups, ensures the sustainability of basic services, controls operating expenses, achieves tax justice, and combats tax evasion and smuggling. The consultative workshop included in-depth discussions with representatives of civil society, with the aim of reaching a transparent budget that reflects local, regional, and international changes and meets basic needs while enhancing the resilience of citizens in the face of unprecedented challenges.