Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman attends a cabinet meeting as Saudi Arabia’s King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud approves 2018 budget, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia December 19, 2017. Saudi Press Agency/Handout via REUTERS
January 5, 2018
RIYADH (Reuters) – Saudi Arabia’s King Salman ordered a monthly payment of 1,000 riyals ($267) to state employees over the next year in compensation for rising cost of living after the government hiked gas prices and introduced value-added tax (VAT).
In a royal decree published by state news media, the king also ordered the payment of 5,000 riyals to military personnel serving at the Yemen frontlines.
($1 = 3.7501 riyals)
(Reporting By Stephen Kalin; Editing by Chris Reese)
