Title: Government Refines Subsidy System, Upholds Legal Mandate to Target Support
In a systematic move to ensure the nation’s subsidy program reaches its intended beneficiaries, the government has continued the lawful process of refining the recipient list. This initiative, rooted in the Budget Law for the current Iranian year and the Seventh Development Plan, focuses on redirecting support by gradually phasing out recipients from the highest income deciles.
A Measured Approach to Implementation
Recent data indicates a deliberate and careful pace in this refinement process. While the summer months saw a significant number of households removed from the list, the pace has since moderated. By the end of the seventh month of the year, approximately 1.5 million recipients from the eighth to tenth income deciles were phased out. This figure represents a notable deceleration compared to the nearly 3 million removed monthly in the two preceding months, reflecting the government’s methodical application of the law.
The Legal Framework for Targeted Subsidies
The core of this policy is a legal directive mandating the exclusion of the top three income deciles from the universal subsidy scheme. This measure is designed to optimize the allocation of national resources and strengthen the social safety net for lower and middle-income families. Official reports confirm that the government is committed to fulfilling this legal obligation, with procedures in place to ensure its accurate execution.
Enhanced Criteria for Greater Accuracy
To improve the precision of the income classification system, authorities have introduced a new metric: “retail purchase” data. This indicator analyzes a household’s average spending over a six-month period, providing a more nuanced and accurate picture of financial capacity than previous methods. This refined system works alongside existing criteria, such as bank transaction turnover and asset ownership, to ensure a fair assessment.
A Transparent Process for Appeals
The implementation process includes a clear channel for individuals to appeal their classification. According to official statistics, out of the millions of households phased out so far, only a very small fraction—approximately 50,000—have registered formal appeals. A significant portion of these appeals are reported to stem from individuals whose banking activity was influenced by factors like managing company funds, which may have temporarily skewed their financial indicators. This demonstrates the system’s built-in mechanism for review and correction.
This ongoing refinement of the subsidy program underscores the government’s commitment to both fiscal responsibility and social justice, ensuring that economic support is directed where it is most needed, in full accordance with national legislation.