Kuwaitis to receive free fuel to compensate for price increase

The speaker of Kuwait’s National Assembly has confirmed that Kuwaitis will receive free fuel every month to compensate them for the recent increase in prices.

The compromise followed a meeting between the country’s parliament and government yesterday after a court ruled the price increase was illegal last week.

The government appealed the decision on October 3.

Read: Kuwait government appeals fuel price hike verdict

State news agency KUNA quoted speaker Marzouq Al-Ghanim as saying the new deal would lower the fuel budget for Kuwaitis and save the state millions of dinars.

Under the agreement, every national with a driving licence will receive 75 litres of 91-octane petrol free every month, an amount estimated to meet 30 per cent of their consumption needs.

Al-Ghanim said a special subsidy committee would review fuel prices and the fuel subsidy offered to nationals to offset the price increase on a monthly basis.

The amount of subsidised fuel will increase with price rises.

The speaker added that the government was closely monitoring the market for price increases linked to the increasing cost of fuel.

Kuwait reduced subsidies on petrol at the beginning of September, with prices rising by more than 80 per cent for some types.

Read: Kuwait approves 83% petrol price increase