A gas station in Hazmieh, Lebanon. (Credit: Mohammad Yassine/L'Orient-Le Jour.)
BEIRUT — The Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) has strongly criticized the recent decision by Nawaf Salam's government to increase fuel taxes, denouncing a "ligh"' and "improvised" approach to a sensitive issue.
In a statement released after its weekly meeting, the Aounist party expressed being "deeply astonished by the frivolity in handling the issue of the fuel tax," accusing the authorities of "adopting the tax, then retracting or disengaging, trying to make amends in the face of massive public opposition."
On May 29, Salam's government decided to increase fuel taxes: 100,000 Lebanese pounds levied on every 20 liters of gasoline sold (or $1.1 at the market rate) and 174,000 pounds on every 20 liters of diesel (or $1.94). This tax, impacting all motorists indiscriminately, was implemented to finance monthly aid to the military (14 million pounds for active military personnel and 12 million pounds for retired personnel). It will take effect at the pump starting July 1, 2025.
A measure that 'harms the competitiveness' of the restaurant sector
The CPL indicates that it does not exclude the principle of finding a means to finance military and civil servant salaries but denounces "the arbitrariness of current decisions." The party, which has positioned itself in opposition since the formation of the new government in February 2025, recalls that in 2011, its current leader, Gebran Bassil, then Energy Minister, had abolished this tax of 5,000 pounds on gasoline and is considering legal appeals to contest the measure.
Finally, the FPM took the opportunity to denounce the "hypocrisy" of its opponents on the issue of administrative appointments. "The truth has come to light on the promises of reform and rejection of clientelism," the statement adds, criticizing appointments "based on confessionalism and the distribution of shares." It concludes by questioning: "Where are those who proposed a law to regulate appointments? Those who accused us of clientelism while we respected competence and procedures?"
The president of the syndicate of restaurants, cafes, nightclubs, and pastry shops in Lebanon, Tony Rami, also called for the "immediate cancellation" of this decision. He condemned a measure that "further burdens operational costs, while the cost of electricity in Lebanon is already among the highest in the world." "Instead of supporting this vital sector, which constitutes an essential pillar of the economy and employment, new charges are imposed that harm its competitiveness, both locally and internationally," he criticized in a statement relayed by the state-run National News Agency (NNA.)
Adding: "We are working to attract tourists and investors, and what we need today are incentive laws, not new taxes. Rather than burning the productive sectors in the wake of rising fuel costs, it would be better to collect the funds owed through fighting smuggling, tax evasion, and customs fraud."