Palestinian Employees Receive 50% of June Salaries Before Eid
Arab World
Ramallah- Asharq Al-Awsat
The Palestinian government has announced it will pay only 50 percent of salaries for its employees in June. According to Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh, the government continues to refuse receiving its taxation revenues from Israel. Shtayyeh called on the Palestinian public sector employees, who amount to more than 180,000 and are promised only half salary for the second month in a row, to be patient and steadfast in facing this financial crisis. “I am confident that with your patience and steadfastness we will be able to overcome this deviation and defeat this colonial settlement annexation project,” the Premier said during the cabinet session on Monday. The transfers, about $190 million a month, make up more than half of the Palestinian Authority's budget and stem from duties on imports that reach the West Bank and Gaza via Israeli ports. The PA snubbed the taxes after declaring bilateral agreements with Israel null in May. Ministry of Finance and Planning announced that employees whose salary is below NIS1,750 (about $510) will receive their full salary, while those who earn a higher salary will receive a minimum of 1,750 shekels or half their salary. Meanwhile, the European Union (EU) has announced granting the PA €23 million ($27 million) to pay partial June salaries to more than 43,000 civil servants. “Our contribution will help maintain the delivery of key public services to the Palestinian people amid this extraordinary crisis,” EU Representative Sven Kuhn von Burgsdorff said in a statement, stressing that the main aim of the grant was to support employees in the health care and education sector. The PA’s domestic income has dropped by 80 percent due to the coronavirus pandemic and its dispute with Israel. In June, the PA received zero clearance funds at a time when local revenues declined by 280 million shekels. Besides, the PA did not receive 100 million shekels in external financial aid, a situation that resulted in the PA not receiving 380 million shekels in revenues. In terms of the monthly expenses, they totaled 760 million shekels, including 550 million shekels accounting for the minimum public wages besides 210 million shekels in other expenses, particularly health expenses following the coronavirus outbreak.
from Asharq AL-awsat https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/2416101/palestinian-employees-receive-50-june-salaries-eid
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