House passes bill to prohibit fee hike despite govt rejection

Manama : The majority of MPs yesterday passed a bill that bans any increase in fees, despite the Government’s rejection.

This came during the regular weekly meeting of the House of Representatives here yesterday.

The bill stipulates that the Legislative Authority, formed of the House of Representatives and Shura Council, should approve and specify the fees before they could be enforced by the government.

The presenters of the bill earlier said that it aims to “alleviate the suffering of citizens by restricting the imposition of fees by the government.

In its reply to the MPs earlier, and through its representative in the session yesterday Shura Council and Representative Council Affairs Minister Ghanim Al Buainain, the government rejected the bill, citing “constitutional violations”.

“This bill violates Article 107 of the Kingdom’s constitution. The Article authorised the Legislative Authority to delegate the Executive Authority (the government) to regulate the status of fees and determine their types and value, in order to achieve the desired purpose of imposing fees,” the government justified its rejection in its reply to the council.

However, the MPs discussed the matter in their meeting yesterday and approved the bill, which is now referred to the second branch of the Legislative Authority, Shura Council, for further discussion and approval.