 On the occasion of the International Day of the Commemoration and Dignity of the Victims of the Crime of Genocide and of the Prevention of this Crime, the Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy & International Affairs (IFI) at the American University of Beirut and the Armenian General Benevolent Union Lebanon (AGBU) invite you to the annual conference on “Investing in the Power of Youth for Countering and Addressing Hate Speech and Preventing Genocide,” on Thursday, December 11, 2025 from 5:00 to 7:00 PM at the Basile Antoine Meguerdiche Conference Hall (IFI Auditorium - Level B). The conference will highlight the vital role of young people in shaping narratives, promoting tolerance, and leading efforts to prevent mass atrocities, examining how empowering youth can help counter and prevent hate speech, while fostering more resilient and inclusive societies. Register here. Discussion on: "Towards a Just and Effective Tax System" The Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy and International Affairs (IFI) and the Department of Economics at the American University of Beirut, and as part of the "Lebanon: Towards a Productive Economy" Seminar Series, cordially invite you to a panel discussion on: "Towards a Just and Effective Tax System" on Tuesday, December 16, 2025, at 3:30 - 5:30 PM at the IFI Conference Room - 4th Floor.
Speakers Ishac Diwan IFI University Fellow Professor of Practice of Economics - AUB Karim Daher International Business lawyer Lecturer on Tax Law and Public Economy - USJ Mona Fawaz Professor of Urban Studies and Planning, Research Lead Beirut Urban Lab & MSFEA - School of Architecture and Design - AUB Ali Abboud IFI University Fellow Associate Professor of Economics - AUB Moderator Saade Chami IFI Associate Fellow Economist and Lebanon's Former Deputy PM Lebanon has traditionally maintained a low taxation rate, despite high public expectations regarding the role of the state. This began to change in 2001 with the introduction of VAT, which has since become the state’s single largest source of revenue. Over the two decades that followed, various reforms were proposed and implemented, culminating in the widely denounced “WhatsApp tax” of October 2019 that helped ignite the subsequent waves of protest. Since the triple-crisis of 2019, government revenue and expenditure have collapsed by a factor of four, before starting a slow recovery. The 2025 budget proposes to return tax revenues to about the same ratio of GDP as in 2018, although tax revenues remain at a much lower absolute level. With an exceptionally large informal sector and recurring revelations of past tax evasion schemes, key questions arise: How can the state increase its revenues in a just and effective way? Where are the untapped bases that could be taxed in a socially fair manner? Conversely, which taxes disproportionately burden the poorest and should be reconsidered or removed? How could taxation be used to nudge behavior in ways that enhance welfare in Lebanon? You can also watch the discussion live on YouTube here. |
