The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud chaired the Cabinet's session at Al-Yamamah Palace in Riyadh on Tuesday afternoon. At the outset of the session, the King briefed the Cabinet on the phone call made to Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, Emir of the State of Kuwait; his talks with Malaysian Prime Minister Mohammad Najib Abdul Razzaq and President Nicos Anastasiades of Republic of Cyprus during which agreements of cooperation between the governments of the Kingdom and Cyprus were signed, and the results of his meeting with the Speaker of House of Representatives of Arab Republic of Egypt Dr. Ali Abdel-A'al. The Minister of Culture and Information Dr. Awwad bin Saleh Al-Awwad said in a statement to Saudi Press Agency that the Cabinet expressed its best thanks and great gratitude to the King and His Royal Highness Crown Prince following the issuance of the royal order to pay annual allowances and bonuses to citizens of civilian and military personnel, rewards for military personnel participating in the front lines of military operations in the southern boundary of the Kingdom, the addition of the allowance of high cost of living to pension salaries and monthly allocations for social security beneficiaries, increasing the reward for male and female students, the State's payment of the value added tax for citizens benefiting from private health services and private education, and the State's payment of the value added tax for no more than SR 850,000 from the price of purchasing the first house for citizens. The Cabinet stressed that the issuance of this royal order came in accordance with what His Royal Highness Crown Prince presented on the results of necessary measures taken by the State to restructure the economy which increased the burdens of living on some segments of citizens, and the King's desire for alleviating the burdens on citizens, his keenness to care for the people of the homeland, sensing their needs, considering their circumstances, providing continuing support for them, his keenness on their prosperity, the provision of decent standards of living for them, and providing distinguished living standards for various segments of the society. --More // Continued // 14:50 LOCAL TIME 11:50 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/1707063
