Businesses welcome expat labour levy freeze

Bahrain's business community has welcomed a government decision to extend a freeze on fees levied on foreigners by the Labour Market Regulatory Authority (LMRA) . The Bahrain Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI) has been lobbying for a freeze on the fees, arguing that it was needed to reduce the impact of the economic crisis on the private sector. The cabinet said in April that it would freeze the levy to help the business community as Bahrain was emerging from a two-month-long unrest which crippled economic activities, and on Sunday said that it would be extended until April 2012. The BCCI in a statement commended the directives of the Prime Minister to the authorities to review the labour fees levied on foreign workers and submit recommendations. Article continues below The aim is to assess their impact on the different economic sectors in Bahrain. "The decision to extend the freeze on the labour fees levied by LMRA will substantially contribute to reducing the effects of the recent incidents in Bahrain on the economy," Essam Abdullah Fakhro, BCCI Chairman, said, quoted by Bahrain News Agency.