Price hikes to cover cost of government pay raises anger Egyptians

The Egyptian parliament voted Monday to increase fuel prices by 35 percent – along with similarly steep hikes in cigarette prices and vehicle license fees – in order to cover the cost of the public sector pay raises President Hosni Mubarak promised last week, Reuters reported Tuesday.

In what an opposition politician called a “conspiracy against the poor,” the price hikes are also making public transportation more expensive, affecting people’s ability to get to work.

While the price hikes were intended to reverse a long-standing energy subsidy that may generate 12 billion pounds, many members of the Egyptian working poor said the increases negate any of the benefits of the government pay raises. Many more have condemned the decision because they do not work for the government and will have to bear the brunt of the fuel increase with no benefits at all.

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