Ahmed Zuhoor, Minister at the President’s office have said that it will not be possible for any government to provide all public services for free for all the citizens.
Zuhoor said that, with each developmental project, the expenditure of the government increases. “ When each project is completed, we have to spend money to maintain it. If no fees are incurred from the users of the services, the state will have to bear all the costs” said Zuhoor.
Zuhoor said that it is a culture in Maldives not to impose fees on the citizens for developmental projects, but that culture needs to be changed. He said that there should be a way for the government to get finance to manage projects once they are completed.
It is a common practice in many countries to take a fee to maintain many services. But in Maldives such fees are levied on very few projects.