Minister of Finance: We have launched a tax reform program to rebuild trust with taxpayers
The First National Conference for the Syrian Private Sector Dialogue 2026 continued its activities on Tuesday at the Conference Palace in Damascus, amid the wide participation of representatives of the Syrian government, chambers of commerce and industry, federations and businessmen from inside and outside the country, as well as international development partners.
During his speech, the Minister of Finance, Mohamed Yusr Barnieh, announced the launch of the structural transformation strategy for the period 2026-2030 under the title "The Ministry of Finance plays a leading role in supporting economic and financial stability and sustainable development in the new Syria", stressing that the future of the country can only be built with a full and genuine partnership between the public and private sectors.
The Minister of Finance explained that the past exceptional challenges have revealed the resilience of the private sector and its ability to sustain production, pointing out that the aspiration in the current transformation program is oriented towards empowering investors, improving the business environment, and developing financing markets.
The Minister of Finance said: "Today, as we look forward to the recovery phase, we believe that the private sector will be the main partner in driving economic growth, attracting investments, and creating job opportunities.
He added: "We launched the Transformation Strategy 2026-2030 under the title of the Ministry of Finance: A Leading Role in Supporting Economic and Financial Stability and Sustainable Development in New Syria, as a national framework, which aims to build a modern Ministry of Finance as a partner of the private sector that supports economic and financial stability."
He pointed out that economic growth is not only achieved through efficient management of public funds, but also through empowering the private sector, developing markets and financial institutions, improving the business environment, and strengthening the partnership between the state and investors.
He said: "We have launched a comprehensive tax reform program to rebuild trust with taxpayers, and we have also worked to move from traditional collection to modern tax administration based on justice and transparency.
He pointed out that strengthening cooperation with the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, the Islamic Development Bank and other regional and international financial and development institutions are important indicators of the return of confidence in the Syrian economy, in order to support economic reform, reconstruction and development efforts.
National Transport and Rail Policy
For his part, the Minister of Transport, Badr, explained that the transport sector includes a multidimensional geographical and technological environment, and requires the establishment of a regulatory body that adjusts its standards and determines the frameworks for coordination with investors.
Badr called on private economic actors to contribute seriously to the restart of the railway network lines after more than half of them went out of service over the past years, announcing the start of intensive negotiations with the Islamic Development Bank to provide technical support for the evaluation of central roads, in parallel with the formulation of the "National Policy for Sustainable Road Transport" in cooperation with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
In a recorded speech, Japan's Parliamentary Deputy Foreign Minister Yohei Onishi explained that the dialogue between the public and private sectors supports the path of recovery, reconstruction and economic development in Syria, and we look forward to the Syrian people achieving further progress in the path of recovery, development and stability.
The second day's sessions focused on the themes of developing production, trade and exports, and discussing the roles of youth, expatriates and international partners in crystallizing the future vision and its competitiveness.
Minister of Agriculture: The Syrian Holding Company for Agricultural Investments will be launched
For his part, Minister of Agriculture Bassel Al-Suwaidan, during his participation in a dialogue session within the activities of the second day of the first national conference for the Syrian Private Sector Dialogue, stressed that Syria has great opportunities for agricultural investment, and we emphasize the importance of partnership between the public and private sectors to promote the agricultural sector, which will be a key driver of economic recovery during the next stage.
Minister Al-Suwaidan said: "We are working to reformulate laws and simplify procedures to address the challenges facing the agricultural sector and encourage local and foreign investments."
He revealed that the Syrian Holding Company for Agricultural Investments will be launched soon and will transfer production facilities to it with the aim of strengthening the partnership between the state and the private sector and achieving integration with farmers.
The Minister of Agriculture added: "We are keen to raise the quality of Syrian agricultural products and expand their exports to the Gulf and the rest of the Arab markets within new partnerships and investments that contribute to achieving Arab food security."
Slogan: The economy is not built by slogans
At the opening of the conference yesterday, the Minister of Economy and Industry, Mohamed Nidal Al-Shaar, stressed that Syria is going through a historical stage that requires building a realistic and open economic model that integrates into regional and international value chains. Al-Shaar stressed that the real renaissance is not built on slogans, but on efficiency and discipline, explaining that the free economy approach does not mean the absence of the state, but rather the achievement of a delicate balance between the freedom of individual initiative and strategic government controls.
Minister Al-Shaar rejected the reduction of the role of the state in the traditional debate between public ownership and privatization, considering that privatization should not be treated as an accusation or an automatic solution, as the real essence lies in the ability to manage the asset and achieve the sustainable economic value that the citizen feels in his daily life, putting women's economic empowerment and the expansion of small and medium enterprises as the main pillars to build a more developed and just society.
The conference is organized by the Ministry of Economy and Industry in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), with the support of the Government of Japan, and implemented by the Syrian Forum Foundation, with the aim of strengthening public-private partnerships, supporting the path of economic recovery and improving the business environment in Syria.
The conference will witness specialized side events including: "Opening Channels for the Syrian Private Sector", "Rebuilding Value Chains and Enhancing Competitiveness", "Investing in Syria", and "Empowering Women Entrepreneurs as Drivers of Recovery".