Proposal to Ease Rent

TDT | Manama

Email: mail@newsofbahrain.com

Five MPs have proposed rent relief for Bahraini factory and shop owners has been proposed by five MPs, who want a six-month waiver on industrial plot lease fees and shop rents collected through the municipalities after the economic effects of the Iranian attacks.

The urgent proposal, submitted by Hisham Al Awadhi, Zainab AbdulAmeer, Mohammed Al Maarefi, Ahmed Al Salloom and Khalid Buanaq, asks the government to exempt Bahraini owners of factories, industrial plots and commercial premises from those payments for half a year. The MPs stated the move was needed after trade slowed in some areas and running costs rose.

Strain

Al Awadhi said the proposal aims to ease the strain on Bahrainis whose businesses depend on daily cash flow and regular trading, while fixed payments still had to be met.

“This proposal comes in light of the exceptional conditions Bahrain is going through as a result of the repercussions of the Iranian attacks, and the direct and indirect economic effects that have touched the commercial and industrial sectors,” he said. “Trade has been affected, some businesses have slowed and operating costs for owners have risen. Bahraini factory and shop owners are among those most affected because their work depends on daily cash flow and on keeping their businesses running.’

He said those owners remain liable for industrial land and plot lease fees, along with rents on commercial premises collected through the municipalities, even when takings were under strain.

Obligations “Their financial obligations do not stop,” Al Awadhi said. “They still have to pay the fees for leasing industrial land and plots allocated through the competent authorities, as well as rents linked to commercial shops collected by the municipalities. That adds another burden at a time when many of these businesses are already under strain.” The proposal suggests these costs could leave some businesses unable to keep going at the same level, pushing some owners to cut back or close for a time, with jobs also at risk.

“These burdens may affect the ability of some establishments to continue,” Al Awadhi said. ‘They may push business owners to scale back or stop work for a temporary period, and that would affect trade and the jobs linked to those activities.”

Waiver

The MPs stated the waiver should cover Bahraini owners of factories and industrial establishments as well as commercial tenants in municipally managed premises, including craft shops and repair workshops. They said a six-month period would give owners time to sort out their finances and regain business momentum while keeping the measure limited.

“Setting the exemption period at six months is a balanced step,” Al Awadhi said. “It gives business owners enough time to put their affairs in order and regain their footing bit by bit, without turning the measure into an open-ended cost.”