The National Bloc: No to Arbitrary Taxes and Patchwork Policies

The National Bloc considers the government’s recent decision to impose additional taxes on fuel to finance a salary increase for military personnel as a clear indication of the absence of an integrated economic plan, one that could instead lead to counterproductive outcomes affecting all Lebanese citizens.

While the salary increase for military personnel is a legitimate and necessary demand, especially in this critical phase that requires full readiness of the security and military institutions, it should have been financed through comprehensive reform-oriented approaches, not through additional tax burdens on citizens. Raising fuel prices will inevitably trigger a new wave of inflation, driving up the cost of goods and services across the board and further weakening purchasing power, including for the military personnel themselves. In effect, the government appears to be giving with one hand and taking away with the other, perpetuating a futile cycle that brings neither stability nor justice.

It is high time to put an end to patchwork policies and short-term fixes, and to shift toward a comprehensive economic plan based on stimulating growth, rationalizing expenditures, enhancing fair tax collection, and transitioning away from a cash-based economy. Such measures would generate sustainable revenue for the treasury and help restore public confidence in the state's ability to govern effectively.

In light of the historic opportunity currently available, with Arab and international investments increasingly flowing into the region’s economies while Lebanon remains excluded, the responsibility falls on the government to adopt a clear plan and a transparent approach. This must include a public commitment to a defined timeline for implementing essential reforms and fully asserting state sovereignty over all its territory, both in word and in deed.

This window of opportunity will not remain open forever. A serious linkage between reform and sovereignty is no longer a political luxury, it is a fundamental requirement for saving Lebanon and restoring its rightful place among nations.