Two Million Saudis Lose Cash Aid When They Can Least Afford It - Bloomberg

Two Million Saudis Lose Cash Aid When They Can Least Afford It - Bloomberg:

Saudi Arabia has removed two million people from an assistance program meant to soften the blow of its economic overhaul, stirring frustration among some during the worst downturn in decades.

Officials began to scale back the so-called “Citizen’s Account” program in April, when they suspended new applications, set an upper limit for payouts and tweaked eligibility rules. The number of beneficiaries began to fall and the drop has accelerated. In July alone, 1.3 million people lost payments.

The government said the changes to the program would help direct support to those who need it most, and weren’t linked to the two-pronged crisis of oil-market turmoil and the Covid-19 pandemic roiling the kingdom. However their impact hit at the same time officials were rolling out new austerity measures, including tax increases.

“It feels like death,” said Bandar Awad, a 34-year-old courier told by text message he’s no longer entitled to the 300 riyals ($80) to 400 riyals he’d received monthly. “Even recharging my cell-phone credit has become difficult.”