$13-bn royal handouts cheer Saudis but show struggle to revamp economy

Saudi authorities had already announced plans to push the timeline for balancing the budget to 2023

Saudi authorities said they’ll spend billions of riyals to help citizens offset the impact of a value-added tax and a surge in gasoline and utility prices, a move that will help ease public discontent while highlighting the kingdom’s struggle to overhaul its economy.
 

King Salman, in a series of royal orders early on Saturday, restored an annual pay raise for Saudi civil servants, suspended as part of attempts to rein in a hefty public-sector wage bill. He ordered a 5,000-riyal ($1,333) bonus for soldiers fighting in Yemen and granted Saudis working for the state an extra 1,000 riyals a month