Famine warning from Bekaa MP

Baalbek-Hermel MP Ibrahim Bayan on October 13 warned that the country will suffer from famine if the government continued its policy of imposing new taxes. He criticized article 9 which included major tax increases in areas such as annual road taxes and registration fees for universities.

"We hope that officials will tour rural areas and visit the poor to see if they can find someone who can afford to pay the registration fees for public schools or Lebanese universities," he said during a conference on public schools held Baalbek-Hermel.

Bayan also criticized Solidere's decision to sell shares to non Lebanese. He said this would open the way for Israelis and Americans to buy shares.

Ibrahim Rassi, head of the Public School Teachers' Association, said the government was trying to marginalize public education by continuing to offer financial aid to free private educational institutions. He said free education should be provided for all primary school children.