Azerbaijan, Baku, May 26/Trend M. Moezzi
Iran's government has no plans to move ahead with the second phase of its subsidy reform program as it was approved by the parliament.
Deputy Minister of Economy and Finance and head of the subsidy reform program, Mohammad Reza Farzin, said that given the problems with the law passed by Iran's Majlis (parliament), the administration hasn't made any plans for the reform plan phase two, Fars news agency reports.
That means the price on energy carriers will remain the same, Farzin said.
Started in December 2011, the subsidy program pays out $37 to Iranians while eliminating subsidies for energy carriers and some commodities. The subsidy elimination program second phase was to start this summer, bringing with it higher prices on petrol, natural gas, water, electricity and bread.
Iran's Majlis gave Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's administration less than half of the revenues from subsidy cuts it asked for. Mr. Ahmadinejad wanted $110 billion in revenues from removed subsidies, but the Majlis granted him only $53.8 billion.