TEHRAN - Mohammad-Hassan Aboutorabi Fard, the interim Friday prayer leader of Tehran, said that the monetary policies should be reformed to curb the inflation.

“We will face serious problems if the monetary policies are not reformed. If the monetary policies are not reformed, the inflation will not be curbed,” the mild-spoken cleric told worshippers. 

"If the banking system is not reformed, the rise in liquidity which is a result of chaos in the banking system will cause economic challenges,” he remarked.

He also called for a tax reform in the country, noting that tax reform does not mean increasing tax rate.

The former lawmaker called for a crackdown on tax evasion. 

“Tax evasion is a cruelty against those who pay tax. This [tax evasion] harms the society and causes economic corruption,” he said.

According to some reports, there is about 40-50 billion dollar tax evasion, Aboutorabi Fard lamented.

He also called on the MPs to consider the country’s long term interests in studying the national budget bill for the next Iranian calendar year, which starts on March 21, 2019. 

The former legislator noted that as long as the economy continues to rely on oil revenues the issue of resistance economy is irrelevant.

NA/PA