The efforts of the Government Performance Follow-up Agency regarding the mechanism for collecting dues concluded with 5 recommendations, at a time when the Council of Ministers has assigned government agencies to continue coordinating with the Ministry of Finance to identify and classify debts that are difficult to collect and develop an appropriate mechanism to address them.
A local Arabic daily said the agency has submitted the following recommendations to the Council of Ministers:
— The Ministry of Electricity and Water shall take measures stipulated in Article 3 of Law No. 48 of 2005 if the consumer fails to pay the Ministry’s dues.
— Expediting the replacement of currently used electricity and water meters to smart meters to ensure the collection of previous debts and prevent new debts.
— Assigning the Ministry of Finance to manage the necessary financial appropriations for the debts of government agencies owed to the Ministry of Electricity
and Water and to include them within the budget projects of the debtor government agency in preparation for settlement.
— Governmental agencies should coordinate with the Ministry of Finance to identify and classify debts that are difficult to collect and how to address them,
and to present the matter to the Council of Ministers to take the necessary action using the appropriate legal tool.
— Confirmation of Cabinet Resolution No. 412/2, adopted at its meeting No. 17-2/2021 held on 4/12/2021, mentioned above.
The agency coordinated with the Ministry of Finance to handle the debt owed to the Ministry of Electricity and Water on government agencies in return for the consumption of electricity and water, according to a specific accounting mechanism.
The meeting ended with the following results:
One: The automatic link between the services of ministries and government departments to ensure that no service is provided before the debt owed by the applicant to other government agencies are paid, except by a law regulating this matter.
Two: Law No. 48 of 2005 regarding the settlement of amounts owed by citizens resulting from their consumption of electricity and water has mentioned in its third article the procedures that the Ministry of Electricity and Water must take in case the consumer fails to pay the dues of the mentioned Ministry.
Three: Replacing the currently used electricity and water meters with smart meters will positively affect the collection of uncollected dues from the Ministry of Electricity and Water and is a guarantee that new debts will not arise.
Four: Governmental agencies that have debts owed to others that are difficult to collect must submit to the Council of Ministers to take what it deems appropriate with the appropriate legal tool.
Five: The settlement of the accumulated debts between government agencies falls under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Finance so that the Ministry of Finance manages the necessary financial appropriations for them and includes them in the budget projects of government agencies in the future.