The Ministry of Finance categorically denied reports on social media about purported government’s intention to slash payments. The official spokesman of the Finance Minister, Khaled Al-Rubaiaan, said there is no government’s intention to review or cut payments or allotments for the civil servants, at present. He indicated that revising the payments “will be applicable to citizens to employed after endorsement of the strategic alternative (scheme).” Al-Rubaiaan added that the re-examination of the payments’ scale would be aimed at hiking salaries of those who are underpaid as compared to others who perform the same job and get higher salaries. The State reforms’ scheme does not include a program to trim the salaries and is actually aimed at ensuring welfare for the citizens by tackling “sources of excessive spending.”