Saudi Arabia: Writer proposes ‘divorce tax’ to curb increasing divorce rates
He suggests revenue can be channeled into fund for supporting marriage seekers
Cairo: A Saudi writer has proposed levying a 'divorce tax' on those seeking separation in an attempt to curb high divorce rates in the kingdom.
In an article titled We need a divorce tax, Talal Al Gashgari argued that revenue from the proposed tax should go into a fund allocated for supporting people who want to get married.
“Divorce cases have increased so much that there is one case every 10 minutes,” he wrote in the Saudi newspaper Al Madina. “This means that while you operate your mobile or iPad, there are a married couple somewhere in our country has got divorced for the first, the second or third time,” Al Gashgari said.
The writer suggested the “divorce tax” be exorbitant enough to make each of the married couple thinks twice before seeking divorce.
“Whoever insists on divorce, then he or she has to pay the tax into a fund to be allocated for those wishing to get married,” Al Gashgari wrote.