Hundreds Flood Beirut Streets to Protest Fuel, Tax Increases
The Lebanese cabinet on Monday approved a 300,000 Lebanese pound increase in the price of 20 liters of gasoline — equivalent to roughly 3.35 U.S. dollars — alongside a one-percentage-point hike in VAT from 11 to 12 percent. The measures were tied to a wage adjustment for government employees, but opponents swiftly dismissed the package as deeply unjust.
By Tuesday morning, demonstrators had moved to shut down key arteries across the capital, blocking the Ring Road — a critical east-west corridor — as well as a major southern junction serving as the main link between Beirut, its international airport, and the southern regions of the country. Organizers argued the government's approach would pile further hardship onto citizens already crushed by years of economic collapse.
Protesters were unequivocal: the proposed salary increases fell far short of compensating for the relentless surge in living costs, and the accompanying fuel and tax adjustments would punish all Lebanese — including those who would see no wage benefit whatsoever. Demonstrators demanded that authorities pursue alternative financing mechanisms that do not deepen the burden on struggling households. No significant security incidents were reported in the immediate aftermath of the protests.
Authorities have defended the measures as fiscally unavoidable, arguing they are essential to sustaining public sector functions that have been severely hampered by years of financial disarray.
The unrest comes against a grim economic backdrop. Lebanon has been engulfed in a financial crisis of historic proportions since 2019 — one the World Bank has ranked among the worst globally in modern times. The Lebanese lira has shed the overwhelming majority of its value, triggering rampant inflation that has gutted purchasing power and pushed a large share of the population below the poverty line. Structural reforms promised by successive governments have yet to materialize, leaving financial stabilization and economic recovery firmly out of reach.
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