issue number 143 |June 2014 TAX-RIDDEN CITIZENS VS. TAX-EXEMPT RELIGIOUS AUTHORITIES CONSUMER PRICE INDEX IN LEBANON THE MONTHLY INTERVIEWS DR. FRANK FERRIS AND DR. HIBAH OSMAN www.iimonthly.com Published by Information International sal
LEBANESE PARLIAMENT
2014 | 48 LAWS IN 6 DAYS 2013 | 2 LAWS IN THE ENTIRE YEAR
Lebanon 5,000LL | Saudi Arabia 15SR | UAE 15DHR | Jordan 2JD| Syria 75SYP | Iraq 3,500IQD | Kuwait 1.5KD | Qatar 15QR | Bahrain 2BD | Oman 2OR | Yemen 15YRI | Egypt 10EP | Europe 5Euros June INDEX 2014
4 LEBANON’S PARLIAMENT 2014: 48 LAWS IN 6 DAYS VS. 2 LAWS IN 2013
10 RENT OF GOVERNMENT PREMISES
12 TAX-RIDDEN CITIZENS VS. TAX-EXEMPT RELIGIOUS AUTHORITIES
13 TAXES AND FEES IN LEBANON
16 CONSUMER PRICE INDEX IN LEBANON
18 LEBANON’S SALARY SCALE BETWEEN RIGHTS, COST AND CONSEQUENCES INFORMATION INTERNATIONAL’S ROUND-TABLE DISCUSSION P: 30 P: 16 20 SALARY SCALE - AMINE SALEH
22 WILL THE PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC BECOME SECRETARY GENERAL OF THE INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATION OF LA FRANCOPHONIE?
24 ANTOUN SAAD - THE RULE OF MUKHABARAT
26 THE EDUSKUNTA OF FINLAND
28 ANTIBIOTIC COLITIS: DR. HANNA SAADAH
29 FRACTAL MATHEMATICS (2): ANTOINE BOUTROS P: 47 30 INTERVIEW: DR. FRANK FERRIS AND DR. HIBAH OSMAN - “BALSAM”
32 ANTA AKHI- FRATERNITY AND COEXISTENCE 44 THIS MONTH IN HISTORY- LEBANON ABDUCTION AND ASSASSINATION OF US 34 DEBUNKING MYTH#82: CLASSICAL MUSIC AMBASSADOR IN LEBANON MAKES BABIES SMARTER 46 THIS MONTH IN HISTORY- ARAB WORLD 35 MUST-READ BOOKS: PSALMS OF A LIFETIME THE 1920 IRAQI REVOLUTION MONA BAROUDI AL-DAMLOUJI 47 ON THE BELIEFS AND PLOTS 36 MUST-READ CHILDREN’S BOOK: THE STORY OF OF AL-QAEDA (3) ZEINA - THE DIVORCE STANCE TOWARDS CHRISTIANS AND SECULARISTS
37 LEBANON FAMILIES: AL-SOUS FAMILIES 49 REAL ESTATE PRICES- APRIL 2014
38 DISCOVER LEBANON: MECHANE 50 DID YOU KNOW THAT?: SEXUAL HARASSMENT IN THE ARAB WORLD 39 DISCOVER THE WORLD: TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO 50 RAFIC HARIRI INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT 40 APRIL 2014 HIGHLIGHTS TRAFFIC - MARCH 2014
51 LEBANON’S STATS |EDITORIAL
OUR NEXT PRESIDENT: KING CARL GUSTAV
“Syria had established a monarchy under King Faisal Bin Hussein and the proclamation of a kingdom or an emirate in Lebanon was not greeted with any opposition from residents. Yet, the French wanted us to be republicans, so we became republicans…” to the monarchist regime. Why don’t we go back to those days and establish a long-term small-sized administrative council with advisory and legislative powers, and the state will be headed by what we call Emir or King rather than Mutasarrif?” Iskandar Riachi
‘Who will be the next President of the Republic of wars” says Gabriel Puaux in his memoir Deux années Lebanon?’ A question frequently raised by the media, au Levant: Souvenirs de Syrie et du Liban, urging the the politicians and the public as if anyone knows declaration of Lebanon as an Emirate or a Kingdom the answer. As if we lived under a parliamentary ruled by an Emir or a King who would pass on the throne to his offspring. But who should that King be? Only Mr. President will be. Is the current Parliament, whose Puaux has the answer. a new legitimate Head of State? Is it normal for the In his book Before and After, Iskandar Riachi says “Mr. Speaker of Parliament to be Shia’a, the Prime Minister Piaux used to say that the Emir or King should be a Sunni and the President of the Republic Maronite? Is it Christian so that Lebanon does not lose the sectarian normal to distribute posts based on sectarian quotas? Is stamp that has distinguished and separated it from the it normal for a Za’im (depending on the circumstances rest of the neighboring regions. He should also be a Protestant because a Protestant King can reconcile the on whom to hire and promote to public posts from his major sects.” sectarian community? Does it really matter whether we have a President of the Republic if there is no Republic Problem solved. Let us then assign Emirs or agents to to begin with? the regions and you will come to see that each of them # # \ % ! Why were the major leaders of Lebanon reluctant to can form a Council of Emirs that reports to a King of take on key ministerial portfolios as if public service absolute power. If we wish to apply modernism or secularism, we can Did Kamal Jumblat not demand control over the even resort to rotating the Emirate, appointing the Emir Ministry of Interior portfolio, Rashid Karami the of the North to the Beqa’a and vice versa. A century or Ministry of Finance and Majid Erslan over the Ministry # &