Despite the hollow promises of the Iran regime’s officials from its president Ebrahim Raisi, who promised a better economic prospect and boom of 8 percent, to the minister of Ehsan Khandouzi who had claimed that inflation will decrease in the next year, regime experts say something else.

And one of the obvious facts of a collapsed economy is the regime’s decision to make up for the budget deficit out of the people’s pockets, which is based on a 60 percent increase in taxes.

The state-run daily Arman on January 27 criticized the regime’s budget plan and wrote: “The 2022-2023 budget is associated with uncollectible revenues, and current budgets that have increased, have fueled inflation. Construction budgets, which could serve as a safety valve to improve the economic situation, are also insignificant. There is no mention of the seventh plan, according to which the 2022-2023 budget was to be closed.”

And Reza Hosseini, member of the Parliamentary Committee on Industries and Mines, said in remarks published by the state-run daily Bahar News that the budget for 2022 also shows that next year people should see inflation and rising prices, and I think there will be so much pressure on people so that they will forget the debate about the stock market.”

“The outlook for next year’s economy is frightening,” he added.

Arman daily asked Farshad Momeni an economic expert, “will inflation and soaring prices decrease next year due to the government’s recent policies and decisions?” Momeni replied, “The claim that inflation will be reduced in next year’s budget is a scientifically invalid claim.”

In discussing the three main pillars of corruption that have implicated the regime’s government, he said: “Iran has been captured by a trilateral anti-development alliance. A pillar of this three-pronged alliance is the short-sighted rent-seeking government. The second pillar of unproductive groups includes rent-seekers, usurers, and brokers, and the third pillar is the promoters of vulgar market orientation.

“When important decision-making institutions take over the mafia kind approaches, they impose very heavy costs on the country’s economy. The Planning and Budget Organization says that an appendix of justice will be prepared for this budget by the order of the President. You have to make a misery attachment.”

Before that, with much fanfare, tRaisi issued a statement, published by the state-run news agency IRNA on November 25, 2021, in which he introduced the “facets of the works in the budget, based on justice” and claimed, “that the correct and fair system of allocating budgets in different parts of the country and proportion to the capacities and needs will advance the economic problems of the country in a direction that will eradicate absolute poverty.”

But the reality is that by this budget, as in the past, the 4 percent wealthy minority – regime’s elements – will become richer, and the majority will become poorer, and the country’s production will nosedive.

In an article entitled, “a costly avalanche is on the way,” the state-run daily Eghtesad Saramad wrote on January 27, 2022, “The creeping and imperceptible fever of the high prices has shivered the frail bodies of the wage-earners, especially the workers and the retirees, for some time.

“Not to include consumer prices on basic goods, VAT on all food and essential household needs, and finally, the increase in electricity bills based on the declared consumption pattern; these three components, which have gradually and unintentionally entered the field of workers’ lives in the form of government regulations, will increase the actual cost of living by the end of February.”

“Is this objective and tangible increase in the cost of living, basically calculated in the inflation basket of the Statistics Center of Iran?”

The regime’s economic experts dismiss the possibility of improving the economic situation and predict that next year poverty will increase, the country’s economic capacity will shrink, and unemployment and inflation will rise.

Following the latest speeches of the Iranian regime’s president Ebrahim Raisi, the regime’s state media are expecting new and promising changes in Iran’s economy, hoping for improvement in the stock market, an increase in the incomes of Iranian workers, and that the resolution of many of the country’s crises.

However, they still remain skeptical as Raisi’s speeches did not provide any practical solutions for a way out of the present crises. Due to the existing problems and the taxes that have been imposed on the people, there is barely any chance of an increase in production or an economic boom.

As a result, whatever Raisi does, if he does anything at all, is likely to have very little effect on the country’s society and social affairs. One such example is the migration of inner-city dwellers to the outskirts of the cities. This, of course, will have social consequences and will likely further expand poverty, and subsequently involve the regime with security consequences that many of its media and officials are worried about or are warning about.

The impoverished middle class is already struggling to survive, having lost much of their purchasing power, leaving them looking towards migrating abroad in their droves for a better life.

The regime, on the other hand, is just adding to its mistakes as the country continues to lose its experts and capable professionals, and with it, the ability to solve the problems Iran is facing today. The government is simply clueless. On the assumption that they will collect wealth taxes, they put propositions in the budget that have nothing to do with economic principles and the welfare needs of society.

In an article discussing the confusing economic situation in Iran, the state-run Fararu daily wrote on January 27, “Someone bought a car for three or four billion rials about three years ago. The price of this car has suddenly jumped to over 10 billion rials due to the successive fluctuations of inflation, in which the people had no role. This person, who had been having trouble repairing his car, must pay a tax under the title of ‘luxury car’ to the government from 2022. In fact, we are facing a class in the country that can be classified as ‘penniless billionaires’.”

Exposing Iran’s weak economy and discussing the Iranian government’s criminal imposition of taxes on the impoverished classes, who are already suffering under the heavy burden of the uncontrollable inflation, the daily further stated, “lacking the power to deal with influential institutions with special relations, the government is shifting the tax burden to people who have already succumbed to inflationary shocks. At present, the rich of Iran and the merchants do not pay taxes but take full advantage of the inflationary conditions. As much as 2,300 trillion rials of energy subsidies are paid monthly. A significant part of this energy subsidy goes to the pockets of the affluent classes of society.”

Laying out details of Iran’s mass corruption, the Fararu daily highlighted that the increase of corruption, in turn, has had disastrous consequences for society. said it wrote, “…inequality, class divisions, public dissatisfaction, budget deficits, waste of financial resources, etc. have increased, and most importantly, productivity has disappeared.”

The daily also added, “The 20-year-old wealth tax plan has been on the table of MPs for 20 years and is decaying. Why are such important plans not approved? Creating such a plan requires transparency, and since some influential institutions in our country oppose the principle of transparency and find it problematic, this plan will not be approved. In such a situation, the people should be given the right to complain that the authorities intend to take from the pockets of the people to solve problems such as budget deficits, etc.”