Prime Minister Nawaf Salam confirmed that the government is aware of the magnitude of the burdens borne by citizens as a result of the rise in generator subscription bills during the past two months, pointing out the difficulty of choosing between providing fuel for cars and meeting the basic needs of homes. Salam pointed out that the Lebanese economy recorded a growth of 4.2% over the past year, but the war halted the path of recovery and set the economy back. He stressed that the state will not allow generator owners, merchants, or importers to exploit rising costs to achieve illegal profits, by imposing unjustified price increases or collecting additional allowances from citizens. Salam announced that the government requested intensification of control over generators, and strict adherence to the use of meters and adherence to official pricing, stressing the necessity of organizing arrest reports against violators and referring them to the judiciary to take appropriate legal measures. Salam also stressed that “public sector employees have the right to live in dignity,” adding: “We do not accept that employees, military personnel, and professors continue to perform their duties with salaries that are not sufficient to secure their basic needs.” He said: "We were able to improve collection to increase public profits, and we reached about 7 billion dollars in the 2027 draft budget after it amounted to 3 and a half billion since the formation of our government, but this does not mean that we achieved a surplus." Salam pointed out that “a large portion of the increased spending in the draft budget for 2027 is allocated to correcting salaries that have lost their value since 2019, and the additional cost of salaries amounts to about one billion and two hundred million dollars.” He added: "We must maintain financial balance. We cannot approve expenditures without securing the necessary funding for them and then make citizens bear the price by endangering monetary stability." He continued: "We have begun pursuing companies that evade paying the value-added tax. The Ministry of Finance has sent warnings to 107 companies, and there are additional files under follow-up with amounts estimated at between 200 and 250 million dollars. We are working to prepare a new batch of warnings."