EghtesadOnline: The Central Bank of Iran has removed pharmaceuticals from the list of essential items that receive subsidized foreign currency for imports, the head of the Iranian Pharmaceutical Importers Association said.

EghtesadOnline: The government will not change its current policy to subsidize imported essential goods and food up until next March, the government spokesman said.

EghtesadOnline: The head of Iran Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture has again urged the government to scrap the controversial subsidized currency policy and focus on creating the long-delayed single forex rate mechanism.

EghtesadOnline: Further to its persistent calls for transparency and doing away with the controversial subsidy schemes, Tehran Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agricultures called on the government to unify the multiple currency rates, which it said has created a hotbed for corruption and rent-seeking.

EghtesadOnline: The Majlis Research Center, the parliament’s research arm, has taken a dim view of the preferential forex rate policy of the government in the past months and warned about the perpetuation of failed tried and tested policies in the coming year as seen in the proposed 2019-20 budget bill.