Citizens expressed their concern about the high costs of marriage, as they reached – according to some cases – three million dirhams to cover the costs of one wedding, in addition to the rise in dowries between 150 and 500 thousand dirhams on average.
Young people eligible for the marriage grant demanded that the ceiling of the grant be raised from 70,000 dirhams to 150,000 dirhams at the very least.
A specialized committee in the National Council had submitted proposals to amend the Marriage Fund Law, including raising the value of the grant to keep pace with the current economic conditions, in addition to canceling the salary ceiling as a condition for disbursing the grant.
The proposals also included tightening penalties for those eligible for the grant who violate the conditions of the Marriage Fund, and requiring them to pay a fine of up to 500 thousand dirhams.
Citizens said, “The dowries amounted to about half a million dirhams, while ordinary families pay between 150 and 200 thousand dirhams, excluding the cost of purchasing (the bride’s) gold, which amounts to 500 thousand dirhams on average, and the wedding party, which costs – in some cases – up to 500 thousand dirhams.”
They pointed out that “preparing the furniture supplies and renting the house exceeds 150 thousand dirhams on average, in addition to the honeymoon, which costs the husband varying amounts of money.”
Citizens considered that the salary ceiling of 15 thousand dirhams for those eligible for the scholarship excludes large numbers of young citizens who deserve to receive the scholarship, as a result of the increase in salaries by 70% at the federal level, in addition to the impact of the high cost of living in raising prices and rising rents.
The Minister of State and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Marriage Fund, Maitha Al Shamsi, stated that the Fund is not currently considering increasing the number of those eligible for the grant, noting that “increasing the salary ceiling to more than 15 thousand dirhams requires study.”
Also, the goal of the fund is not limited to considering it a financial treasury for disbursing grant checks, noting that “the value of the grants to those eligible according to the terms of the fund amounts to 70 thousand dirhams.”
The head of the Health Affairs Committee in the National Council, Abdullah Balhan Al-Shehhi, told Emirates Al-Youm: “There are proposals submitted to the National Council to raise the value of the grant, and not to set a ceiling on the salaries of those eligible.”
He continued, “The committee presented two-pronged proposals. The first relates to the fund’s financial resources by opening investments and establishing an endowment to support the fund financially, in addition to building wedding halls to help with the costs of marriage. The second relates to increasing the social and educational role of the fund.”
He stressed that “the committee called for activating the Penal Code for violators of the conditions for marriage costs, including paying a fine amounting to 500 thousand dirhams for violators of the conditions of the Marriage Fund among those eligible for the grant,” explaining that “the penalties include those eligible for the grant only, as determining the costs of marriage is within the terms of the grant.”
Those eligible for the grant stated that they “borrowed sums of money from banks between 200 and 400 thousand dirhams to cover the costs of marriage,” noting that “family assistance does not exceed 15 thousand dirhams, while the Fund’s grant covers only 25% of the marriage costs for ordinary families.”
Through Emirates Today, they demanded that the value of the grant be raised to at least 150,000 dirhams, in addition to raising the ceiling for the salary of those entitled to the grant from 15,000 to 25,000 dirhams, due to the high costs of marriage and the high cost of living.
Reem Al-Baroudi, responsible for parties and conferences at the InterContinental Hotel, said: “The value of organizing a dinner party for citizens amounts to between 280 and 500 thousand dirhams, as the price of one plate ranges between 50 and 280 dirhams, and the hall can accommodate 1,000 people, pointing out that the type of food… The cost of the dinner depends on the references request.
A member of the Emirati Citizen Human Rights Society, Maryam Al-Ahmadi, confirmed that “the costs of marriage between citizens have risen in recent years, which has prompted young people to marry outside the country, as a result of the high costs, and the value of dowries has exceeded one million dirhams for some families, despite the presence of A law specifies the dowry not to exceed 50 thousand dirhams.”
She said, “The value of buying gold for the bride exceeds 100,000 dirhams, and sometimes reaches 500,000 dirhams,” noting that “the cost of marriage in the Emirates is the highest in the world, even among the Gulf countries.”
She added, “The recent period witnessed the spread of the phenomenon of bank loans to cover the high costs of marriage, and this phenomenon extended to female citizens as well, as one of her friends borrowed an amount of 300 thousand dirhams to help her husband supplement the costs of marriage.”
She explained that “the reason for these loans is that some citizens do not give up on luxury and extravagance at weddings,” pointing out that “financial loans from the beginning of marriage often cause problems between spouses from the beginning of their married life.”
As for the citizen Ishaq Al Mazrouei, who is eligible for a marriage grant, he indicated that he borrowed 150 thousand dirhams from the bank to complete the marriage ceremony, pointing out that he received financial assistance from his family amounting to about 100 thousand dirhams.
He stated that “the value of the grant is not sufficient to cover the expenses of marriage, especially with the rise in prices, rents, and inflation,” explaining that “he receives a monthly salary of 17 thousand dirhams.”
Citizen Muhammad Salem Al-Menhali, one of those eligible for the grant, demanded that the salary ceiling be raised, noting that he “received financial assistance from his family to cover the costs of marriage,” explaining that he “receives a monthly salary of 17 thousand dirhams.”
He pointed out that “the costs of marriage have risen, as some pay sums of money for the dowry amounting to one million dirhams, and the value of the party amounts to half a million dirhams.”
He stressed that “his marriage cost only 460 thousand dirhams, and that he owed a bank loan worth 270 thousand dirhams.”
As for citizen Youssef Ali Youssef, he said, “The value of the grant is not sufficient to cover the costs of marriage, and represents only a small percentage,” pointing out that the value of the grant was set 16 years ago with the establishment of the fund, and that prices have changed and increased significantly, calling for changing all financial conditions in the fund. The box.