When neighbouring countries like Qatar provide free municipal services, water, electricity and even local telephone calls to their citizens, our government in Bahrain seem to find creative ways in which to extract more money from us! This time, it’s a little increase in municipal charges; from BD2 per month per owned household to BD50! And that without it going through the constitutionally required inculcation of a new law regulating this change!
That’s not new as far as the Municipalities is concerned. They seem to make a habit of over-charging for the meager services they provide, for instance there is this little thing of overcharging a bank BD 30,500 (US$80,700)! Goodness knows what else is going on in that ministry, other than going into parliamentary education which, of course, is not one of its core competencies to start with.
All links lead to Arabic press articles
Update 7 Feb, ’07: This fee increase has been rescinded!
Comments
interesting how you forgot to mention that the fees are temporary.. is it cause you think they will be permanent? :angel:
Author
Well, that’s because their temporary and my temporary interpretation differ somewhat.
An example is that “War Duty” stamp of 5 fils which you are obliged to put on any posted letter on top of the actual cost of the postage charge. This “duty” was levied in 67 or 73, can’t remember which, but it’s not only still going on, but I’m told that the price has increased to 10 fils too! That charge, we were led to believe, was to help the war effort against Israel at that time. That war ended but we’re still paying it.
See what I mean?
Now I know that someone will come and say that we are officially still at war. Fine. Who’s looking into the money collected and how is that money distributed throughout the life of this duty?
The essence is that without a defined timeframe and without a law being passed to regularise the time period and the amount levied, it is unconstitutional.
i know this is a little out of context, but you didnt happen to check the rest of th news did you?
hell must have frozen over…
Author
:cwy:
Are they being for real!? :face: