Oman taxing the richest: 'It will be interesting to see if Muscat starts a trend'
In a royal decree published Sunday, June 22, Sultan Haitham bin Tariq ratified the introduction of a 5% income tax starting in 2028 on Omanis earning more than 42,000 Omani rials (€94,400) per year. Deductions will apply for expenses related to primary residence, health, or charitable donations. According to the sultanate's estimates, 99% of the population will not be affected by the new tax. Turning on the tax tap was seen as necessary to reduce the country's extreme dependence on oil revenues. Fossil fuels account for 85% of the Omani state's income, compared to an average of 60% for the region.
Diversifying the economy
The sustained drop in global crude oil prices – below $68 (€58.65) for North Sea Brent crude on Tuesday, amid hopes for a possible resolution of the Israel-Iran conflict – has weakened Gulf economies. "The average fiscal breakeven price for countries in the region (the oil price required to balance their budgets) has continued to rise in recent years. In 2024, it reached $83.20, an increase of $10 compared to 2020," said Stéphane Alby, economist at BNP Paribas, in a recent study. As a result, "from a situation of near balance in 2023-2024, the combined budget balance of the Gulf countries will slip into deficit, with a shortfall expected to exceed 3% of GDP [gross domestic product] in 2025-2026."
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France 24
15 hours ago
- France 24
Iranians struggle with GPS disruption after Israel war
"For weeks I have been unable to work," said Fooladi, who uses Iran's homegrown ride-hailing app Snapp to find customers. "Most of the time was wasted wandering around aimlessly," the 35-year-old Iranian driver added. Unprecedented disruption has plagued users of GPS, which stands for Global Positioning System, in Iran since Israel's surprise attack in mid-June which triggered a deadly 12-day war. Iran's communications ministry has said the disruptions were necessary for "security and military purposes", without giving further explanation. Missiles, drones and rockets often use GPS or other similar technologies, which involve triangulating signals from multiple satellites, to find their targets. Iran has long employed GPS jamming and spoofing around sensitive military sites but the recent disruptions have been the most sustained and widespread. It remains unclear how long the measures will last or how much damage they have caused to Iranian businesses. Ride-hailing apps, delivery platforms, and even basic mapping services like Google Maps and its Iranian equivalent Neshan have buckled under the interference. In many areas, especially around Tehran, users often spot themselves on the maps hundreds of kilometres away from their actual locations. "To get around, you either need a sharp memory for routes or already know the city well," Fooladi said. But the driver, originally from the western Lorestan province and less familiar with the capital's winding backstreets, frequently finds himself running into dead ends. "I only pick up passengers who know the directions, " he said, adding the strategy had severely cut his income. 'Collateral damage' In early August, the chief executive of the Neshan mapping app, Javad Amel, said in a video interview that daily disruptions through GPS spoofing had been ongoing for years, especially in Tehran. But he explained in recent weeks that Neshan's daily active users "had dropped by 15 percent, while navigation activity on the app fell by 20 percent". The continued disruption has heightened fears of a deepening economic crisis among Iranians. The Islamic republic's economy is already struggling under the weight of decades of international sanctions and mismanagement, compounded by the revival of US President Donald Trump's "maximum pressure" campaign earlier this year. Nuclear talks with Washington, which began in April, have also stalled since the United States joined its ally Israel to strike Iranian nuclear sites in June. "This war has upended our lives and frozen our future plans," said Fooladi. In a report last week, the Khabar Online news agency warned against the disruption of GPS, saying it caused "collateral damage" to the digital economy and public safety, including delays to emergency services. Former communications minister Mohammad Javad Azari Jahromi argued the disruption was costly and would likely have limited defensive results. "Drone manufacturers and operators are not stupid either. If the GPS is disrupted and another positioning system replaces it, they will also use the new system," Jahromi said according to his Telegram channel. 'Unclear future' With the significant impact on civilian lives, deputy communications minister Ehsan Chitsaz suggested that Iran could consider alternatives to GPS. "Disruptions are created by domestic systems on GPS, and this has pushed us toward alternative options such as BeiDou," he told Iranian daily Ham Mihan in July. The Chinese satellite system BeiDou, fully operational since 2020, is emerging as a global rival to the US-built and operated GPS. Chitsaz said Iran was "drafting a program" so some of the country's location-based services for transport, agriculture could "gradually migrate from GPS to BeiDou". He acknowledged disruptions in Iran, coupled with years-long internet restrictions, have damaged businesses and created "social distrust and despair". But experts say that replacing GPS would be complex. "Doing so would require extensive and costly infrastructure changes," said Amir Rashidi of the US-based Miaan group, adding that Iran is currently "highly vulnerable in cyberspace". Many in Iran believe that another confrontation with Israel is on the horizon as Israel and the United States continue to threaten attacks if Iran restarts its nuclear programme, which has been on hold since the war. "Everything is uncertain, and we can't plan. The future is unclear," said Mohammad Hossein Ghanbari, a 32-year-old Snapp driver. © 2025 AFP
Euronews
08-08-2025
- Euronews
Germany halts military exports that could be used in Gaza, Merz says
Germany's Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on Friday that country will not authorise any exports of military equipment that could be used in Gaza "until further notice". The move from Berlin, which has historically been a stalwart supporter of Israel, comes after the Israeli Cabinet announced plans to take over Gaza City. In a statement, Merz emphasised that Israel "has the right to defend itself against Hamas' terror" and said that the release of Israeli hostages and "purposeful" negotiations toward a ceasefire in the 22-month war "are our top priority". He also said Hamas must not have a role in the future governance of Gaza. "The even harsher military action by the Israeli army in the Gaza Strip, approved by the Israeli (security) cabinet last night, makes it increasingly difficult for the German government to see how these goals will be achieved," he added. "Under these circumstances, the German government will not authorise any exports of military equipment that could be used in the Gaza Strip until further notice." The German government remains deeply concerned about the suffering of civilians in Gaza, he said. "With the planned offensive, the Israeli government bears even greater responsibility than before for providing for their needs," Merz explained. He called on Israel to allow comprehensive access for aid deliveries, including for UN organisations and other NGOs, and said Israel "must continue to comprehensively and sustainably address the humanitarian situation in Gaza." Germany also called on Israel's government "not to take any further steps toward annexing the West Bank." Israel imports almost 70% of its military arsenal from the US, the world's largest arms exporter. Germany is Israel's second biggest supplier and since the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza started in October 2023, Berlin has exported €485 million worth of weapons. Italy ranks third, supplying less than 1% of Israel's military kit. Changing opinion Merz's comments come amid a sea change of opinion among a number of Western countries about how the war on Hamas in Gaza is being fought and the resulting humanitarian crisis. In July, the foreign ministers of 28 countries, including Belgium and the United Kingdom, issued a joint statement saying the war "must end now" and that Israel must comply with international law. The foreign ministers said "the suffering of civilians in Gaza has reached new depths' and condemned 'the drip feeding of aid and the inhumane killing of civilians, including children, seeking to meet their most basic needs of water and food." In January, Israel banned the main UN organisation delivering aid to Palestinians in Gaza, UNRWA, from operating, claiming the agency turned a blind eye to Hamas members in its ranks. Responsibility for aid distribution was handed over to the opaque US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), which had no previous experience of delivering aid to combat zones. Its delivery method has been criticised by established aid groups and deliveries at its four distribution sites across Gaza have often seen people killed, either in crowd crushes or after Israeli forces or security contractors opened fire near aid-seekers. Also last month, French President Emmanuel Macron said France would recognise Palestine as a state at the UN General Assembly in September, adding that he hoped the move would help bring peace to the region. Shortly after that announcement, Portugal's government said it was consulting the country's main political parties about potential recognition of a Palestinian state.
France 24
05-08-2025
- France 24
Is the US 'complicit in the war crimes being carried out by Israel in Gaza'?
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