Social and economic inequality is indeed a global problem. But when it comes to Iran under the ruling theocracy, the situation becomes more like an apartheid state, where, except for the ruling elites, the majority of the population suffers.
In Iran’s economic tempest, hyperinflation and unemployment tear lives apart. The people’s suffering defies description, a nation pushed to the brink, grappling with a situation that transcends the bounds of what was once deemed endurable.
The country suffers from what the Iranian regime’s insiders consider the “maze” and “black hole” of corruption. While Iranians can hardly make ends meet, “The current framework disproportionately favors the wealthy, emphasizing their advantage. It’s not solely the government but rather the overall system that caters to the affluent. The regulations and dynamics of this setup perpetuate their prosperity,” Majid Hosseini, a regime-affiliated expert, told the state-run Didarnews website on June 21.
Hosseini acknowledges that, for example, “Housing inflation impacts everyone outside the ruling class, creating a need to be in that bracket to evade it, for the bottom 30%, education and healthcare is an unattainable dream.”
“Yet, the government tries to blame people for not fulfilling their duties, such as paying taxes. How can they pay taxes with such a meager salary? Yet, 12 petrochemical companies in the country paid two billion dollars in taxes this year. They paid $12 billion in 2005. Why are they paying less?” he added.
According to the state-run Khabaronline website on April 27, “Iranian employees pay ten percent of the total taxes, while big financial institutions and companies pay nearly nothing.”
In a startling admission in June 2023, the official Iran newspaper wrote: “The 79% tax surge, alongside burdening the impoverished, will exacerbate the recession. Livelihood strain is set to intensify this year, compounding the challenges people face.”
The recently revealed classified documents shed light on the IRGC's control over Iran's oil revenue, underscoring the regime's corruption and economic mismanagement.https://t.co/genvxrs91b
— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) May 24, 2023
As a result of the increasing financial calamity, more people are forced to leave their houses and go live on the cities’ outskirts and in shantytowns. According to the state-run Jamaran website on August 26, “roughly 13 to 19 million Iranians live in shanty towns and cities’ outskirts.”
“While 19 million reside in shantytowns and urban fringes, 2.5 million dwellings remain vacant. This contradicts the narrative. The government, owning the most land, oversees roughly 75-80% of Iran’s territory, with 50-60% cultivated. Curiously, land management falls to the Agriculture Ministry. Hunger, drought, and rural overpopulation force people to the city outskirts,” the outlet added.
While more Iranians are pushed into the swamp of poverty, another case of embezzlement and corruption was revealed recently. On August 29, the state-run EghtesadNews reported that “a state bank’s fund department head in Iran misappropriated approximately 30 trillion rials. Tehran’s General Prosecutor, Ali Salehi, disclosed a corruption case involving 290 trillion rials at another state bank. The fund department’s director pilfered nearly 30 trillion rials.”
In a nutshell, in the crucible of Iran’s economic crisis, where hyperinflation, unemployment, and inequality grip the nation, the regime’s corruption and mismanagement are the architects of despair. As Iranians endure the suffocating weight of poverty, rising prices, and a skewed system favoring the wealthy, the call for change reverberates. Amidst embezzlement scandals and a widening gap between rulers and ruled, the struggle for a brighter future persists, fueled by a collective yearning to break free from the chains of a regime that has forsaken its people.
Source » ncr-iran