Kuwait earns KD 23 million in electricity bills from expats in a year

Cairo: Kuwait has collected electricity bills worth 23 million Kuwaiti dinars over the past year under an agreement banning foreigners from leaving the country without paying, a Kuwaiti newspaper reported.

As reported by Al Jarida, citing sources in the Kuwaiti Ministry of Electricity, Water and Renewable Energy, the money was paid by September 1 this year.

Last year, the ministry partnered with the ministries of interior and justice to ensure that expats do not leave Kuwait or conduct any transactions until they have settled debts to government institutions.

“The system of links, especially between the ministries of energy and interior, is working with great efficiency, which makes it possible to collect these large debts,” the sources added.

According to them, this solution came into force in mid-April 2023 and has proven effective since then.

The agreement is part of the Kuwaiti government’s efforts to collect overdue debts to the state treasury.

Since September last year, Kuwait has been implementing a government decree requiring all foreigners to pay their electricity and water bills before leaving the country’s land and air borders.

Earlier, the Ministry of Interior asked foreigners to settle all outstanding traffic fines before leaving Kuwait.

The government said the aim of the measures was to protect state money and collect outstanding revenue.

Expatriates make up 3.3 million of Kuwait’s 4.9 million population.