Majlis hails Ahmadinejad reform plans

Sun Dec 19, 2010

Nearly 180 lawmakers have welcomed implementation Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's reform plans which he has promised will boost the economy and eradicate poverty.

In a joint statement released on Sunday, 175 lawmakers touted the implementation of the “targeted” reforms, which include slashing government subsidiaries in place since the 1979 Revolution and raising energy prices.

“Our dear nation is well aware that the previous unjust allocation of government subsidiaries was one of the main problems of our country's economy and the source of corruption as well as many other anomalies,” Fars News Agency quoted the Sunday statement.

The statement, recited by a member of the Iranian Parliament's (Majlis) Presiding Board, Jasem Saedi, also urged political activists, lawmakers and the media to “continue their support for the plans.”

“The implementation of this law in the face of efforts by the enemies of the Revolution to paint a troubled picture of the country's finances through economic sanctions is a sign of economic stability and great management skills as well as the unity between the government and the nation,” it added.

In a televised national speech on Saturday night, President Ahmadinejad announced that the plans would be implemented on Sunday.

He said the plans were guaranteed to lead to a better economy, since people would start saving on energy consumption, making it possible to export the extra reserves and pump the money back into the economy.

The Iranian chief executive also reasoned that higher prices would encourage people to use less fuel and cause less damage to the environment -- especially in pollution-hit Tehran.

Under the new rationing system, the price of gasoline will rise by fourfold from IRR1,000 (10 cents) per liter to IRR4,000 (40 cents) per liter as of Sunday.

Fuel beyond a person's quota -- which is 50 liters per month -- is now sold at IRR7,000 (70 cents) per liter.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail/156199.html.