NTP to spur growth, bring stability

Cabinet ministers field questions from the media regarding the National Transformation Program. (SPA)

RIYADH: Minister of Finance Ibrahim Al-Assaf denied Tuesday reports that Saudi Arabia will impose taxes on either Saudis or foreign residents in the Kingdom, pointing out that imposing taxation on residents was an old proposal, which will be discussed later, but nothing so far has been approved in this regard, adding that it’s among initiatives proposed by the Ministry of Finance.
The remarks came in response to journalists’ questions related to the launch of the Kingdom’s National Transformation Program, emanating from the Vision 2030, endorsed by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman.
Al-Assaf emphasized the role of the Ministry of Finance concerning the National Transformation Program, saying that its implementation will lead the national economy to a new stage of growth and stability.
For his part, Minister of Justice Walid Al-Samaani called NTP the main mechanism to realize the vision of the Kingdom, based on attested methodology, after identifying the challenges ahead in the economic and development domains.
The Kingdom’s Vision 2030, as well as the ongoing structural revision of governmental sectors and the National Transformation Program, underscore the interest of King Salman, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Naif and Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in accelerating the tempo of governmental works, he added.
The minister indicated that raising justice-related services, institutional excellence, mitigating in-court suits and disputes, improving the status of the judiciary and spotlight its role, regionally as well as internationally, are strategic aspects related to the Ministry of Justice.
In the same context, Minister of Culture and Information Adel Al-Toraifi, at the beginning of his speech during the press meeting, thanked Saudi leaders for approval of the transformation program.
The minister said the announcement of NTP shows the seriousness of the Council of Economic Affairs and Development.
The Ministry of Culture and Information identified the main objectives of NTP, notably the strengthening of the national cultural identity; creating a suitable work environment for cultural activities; and caring for the media industry so the focus is on creating a media and production city to increase the productivity of the media work and local content within the Kingdom.
He stressed that the great goal of the Ministry of Culture and Information is to improve the Kingdom’s image at home and abroad as one of the major national priorities, in view of the charges and negative images promoted against the Kingdom, especially in the past two decades, and which are void and caused by the other’s lack of understanding of our culture and our true image.
Minister of Labor and Social Development Mufrej Al-Haqabani stressed that NTP is an important phase in the drive of the government’s work, which carries a high methodology and contains many of the developmental initiatives. He pointed out that the important thing is the strategic interdependence which was created by the program as there is continuous movement in the government’s system.
Al-Haqabani explained that the most important initiatives submitted by the Ministry of Labor and Social Development for the National Transformation Program concern transforming labor and social development to become a productive sector that can contribute to the national domestic product and reduce its dependence on the government.
The minister said his ministry’s initiatives focus on supporting needy groups and creating a private protection network to protect all beneficiaries, stressing that the Kingdom gives the family protection issue a lot of care.
Minister of Transport Sulaiman Al-Hamdan hailed the significance of NTP, pointing out that the first strategic objective of the Ministry of Transport within the program is for the Kingdom to become a first class global logistics center.
The minister said that the Kingdom has spent a lot on infrastructure and has more than 64,000 km of roads and that according to the world rankings and what is mentioned by the World Economic Forum in 2015, the Kingdom ranked 34th in a list of 140 countries.