Almotamar.net - The Studies and Economic Media Center (SEMC), in cooperation with the Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI),has held a workshop on financial federalism in Taiz governorate.
At the opening of the event, which was organized under the theme:“Financial Federalism and Division of financial resources between the Federal Government and Regions” , SEMC Chairman , Mustafa Nassr, said that the financial decentralization program is intended to spread awareness of final federalism, which is being adopted by Yemen in accordance with the conclusions from the National Dialogue Conference (NDC) that declared Yemen federal state.
He made it clear that participants, including economists, government officials, and representatives from CSOs and media outlets, are working towards developing the constitutional vision on financial federalism, which was set out by SEMC as a preliminary step to submitting same to the constitution drafting committee in Yemen.
For his part, Taiz deputy governor for financial resources, Mohammed Abdullah Othman, stressed the importance of adopting constitutional principles ensuring that power and wealth may not be monopolized by the central government, pointing out the sufferings the Yemeni people had endured in the past as a result of financial centralization. He noted that the political transition Yemen is experiencing now must go hand in hand with financial and economic transformation.
Dr. Tawfeeq Mohammed Abdul Jabbar, Head of Economics Dept. at College of Administrative Science, Taiz University, reviewed the responsibilities of expenditures within the framework of federalism, the allocation of resources in favor of both the regions and the federal government. He highlighted that there are preconditions for a successful federalism, including the rule of law, independent judiciary, and the prevalence of culture of tolerance, and co-existence among social groups.
Participants affirmed the importance that the new constitution must include the principles of allotting funds for the resource-hungry regions, considering manpower as the capital of the federal state, and giving the regions with heavyweight tax-payers the chance to collect taxes efficiently. They demanded that Zakat funds should be allocated for the regions wherein they are levied.
It is worth mentioning that SEMC is a non-profit organization that seeks to spread awareness of economic issues, enhance transparency and public involvement, particularly that of women, in decision-making, in addition to creating professional media