Finally, some clarity

ENAR

After deliberating for much of 2017, Parliament met in late July to ratify new taxes. The legislation then sat on the desk of President of the Republic Michel Aoun for nearly a month, while he contemplated whether or not to sign the taxes into law. In late August, he finally inked his name, briefly ending a period of public uncertainty and frustration around lawmakers waffling on the issue. But, adding a fresh layer of confusion, as Executive went to print the Constitutional Council issued a freeze on the tax hike pending further review. The measures had, when first announced in the opening months of this year, led to street protests against a hike. Throughout the year, there was much confusion over which new taxes would be introduced or increased, how much more people and businesses would have to pay, when the new measures would enter into force, and what the