Varesh

The promised food-voucher increase did not arrive on schedule What happened The Planning and Budget Organization said this morning that a new food-voucher payment for around 40 million people is still being prepared and will be made separately later in October. The government had previously discussed raising support for the lowest five income deciles from 15 Mehr 1405 (October 7, 2026). Tasnim reports that yesterday’s payment went out without the promised increase. Finance Minister Ali Madani-Zadeh had earlier said the increase should be at least 300,000 tomans per person, while the Central Bank governor had referred to a possible 50% increase for roughly 44 million people. The Planning and Budget Organization now says final funding arrangements remain under review. Economic significance The delay matters because food support is being adjusted in an environment of very high inflation and rapid FX depreciation. Every week of delay reduces the real value of a fixed nominal benefit if food prices continue rising. The fiscal channel also matters. A benefit financed through genuine budget reprioritization has different monetary consequences from one financed indirectly through bank or Central Bank balance sheets. Outlook A separate payment later in Mehr appears likely, but the precise amount, beneficiary universe and funding source are not yet finalized.