Saudi Arabia's dependent fees leave Egyptian expats in dire straits
Dependents of expat workers in Saudi Arabia will be charged a dependent fee starting in 2017, which is a further strain on the salaries of foreign workers and will likely result in large numbers of families going back home.
Egyptian workers along with other expatriates in Saudi Arabia expressed their concerns over the Saudi government's recent decision to impose new fees on the dependents of foreign workers, in a move to boost state revenues that have been hit by the decline in oil prices. Feeling the pinch of the increased fees, many Egyptians are planning to send their families back home to avoid this extra financial burden that will swallow their salaries.
The newly introduced levy, which went into effect July 1, came as part of Saudi Arabia's fiscal balance program adopted in December. The program aims to strike a balance between revenues and expenditure by 2020.
