Bahrain Mirror: Bahraini Minister of Industry, Commerce and Tourism Zayed Al-Zayani ended any remaining hope for reaching a settlement with the Chamber of Commerce and Industry on the new fees imposed on the commercial registries, after he confirmed that the decision to raise the fees is "in force and irreversible".

After meeting with the Chamber of Commerce, the minister said that the meeting was "positive and fruitful, during which many ideas and views regarding the decision were presented by the ministry and the chamber," adding that the purpose of the meeting was to discuss the mechanisms for implementing the decision to be put in effect on September 22.

Al-Zayani further stressed on the legality of the decision issued by the Cabinet almost a year ago, stating that it was published in the Official Gazette, thus merchants were given the opportunity over a span of one full year to adjust their situation before the decision is put into force.

On the other hand, Al-Zayani criticized the campaign launched by some against the decision via social media sites, some of which were published in local newspapers as well where they accused the ministry of destroying the national economy. He stressed that these attacks were not based on realistic figures that correspond to what the Ministry has done in developing the national economy since 2014.

Arabic Version