Sources in the coastal city of Latakia have confirmed that the fiscal deficit in the city has reached 260 million Syrian Pounds.
The sources added that the Minister of Local Administration has ordered the city council to sack 520 employees.
The city has been the site of several major corrupt operations, including the supply of illegal licenses for construction on archeological and touristic sites. One license was issued to build a skyscraper on the site of the Shidiaq Palace, considered one of the most important archaeological sites in Syria.
The regime has issued a decree stating at least one person from each family who has lost one of its members in the fighting must be given employment. With the increasing death toll among troops, the regime found itself obligated to employ large numbers of people, which has also added to the fiscal deficit.
Translated and edited by The Syrian Observer
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