Deputy Issam Shushan criticizes the assumptions of the 2027 budget
A member of Parliament's Finance Committee considers the government offer figures to be inconsistent and objective and warns of the risk of rising debt.
A member of the Finance and Budget Committee of the Assembly of the Representatives of the People, Essam Shushan, on Thursday 29 October 2026 at Parliament's seat in Bardo Palace, criticized the figures and assumptions contained in the government's proposal for the draft State Budget and Finance Law for 2027, as lacking in coherence and economic objectivity. These remarks followed the government's proposal to the Joint Committee on Finance and Budget to discuss financial trends for the next phase.
Shushan highlighted the disparity between financial and economic indicators as a result of the simultaneous increase in public debt and budget deficit relative to 2026, with the government estimating a target growth rate of 3.1%, stressing that this synchronization reveals a gap in official estimates. He criticized the hypothetical fixing of a barrel of oil at $80, pointing out that international geopolitical volatility and tensions pose additional risks to financial balances.
The MP stressed the absence of concrete and direct legislative mechanisms to stimulate investment, create wealth and fight for a parallel market in the proposed project, pointing out the need to realise self-reliance to cover the burdens of social support and face the cumulative obligations of the state.
The parliamentary observations were based on the requirements of the Basic Budget Law, which imposes precise criteria on estimation and explains the detailed reasons for each chapter of the Finance Act, where Shushan explained that a change in assumptions in 2026 would have required the government to deposit an amended Finance Bill to review estimates before discussing the new budget.
The next step is to complete the joint hearings with the Minister of Finance and members of the Government, and prepare the report of parliamentary committees on the draft Finance Bill 2027 in preparation for its presentation, discussion and approval at the general meeting before the end of the constitutional term on 31 December.