Kuwait set to raise fees for expat services
Government services currently offered to Kuwaitis, foreigners mostly for same fees
Cairo: The Kuwaiti government has recently started revising fees on state services for Kuwaitis and expatriates in the country in a step to increase them for the foreigners, a Kuwaiti newspaper has said, citing government sources.
“There is an inclination to differentiate in charges on government services provided for citizens and expatriates depending on the type of the service,” added the sources described by Al Rai as well-informed.
The move is part of fiscal reforms aimed to redress budget imbalance and deficit and raise non-oil revenues, they added.
Kuwaiti government ministries and institutions are working on detailed lists of services and related fees as part of the revision, according to the sources.
“The government will conduct a comprehensive revision of service charges and previous amendments to determine the extent of their suitability to changes in different fields. There is a serious inclination towards making charges on services from which expatriates benefit different from those paid by citizens,” the sources said.
Recent statistics show that foreigners account for around 69 per cent of Kuwait’s overall population of around 4.6 million.
“As things are standing, the government services are mostly offered to citizens and expatriates for the same fees. Studies confirm the possibility of making the fees paid by Kuwaitis different from those of expatriates,” the sources said without giving specific figures.
In recent months, there have been increasing calls in Kuwait for curbing foreigners’ employment along accusations that migrant workers have strained the country’s infrastructure facilities amid economic repercussions from the COVID-19 pandemic.