By Country / Iran
Iran Offers Shares In State Firms To The Poor
October 30, 2006
Poor residents of Tehran (file photo) (AFP)
October 29, 2006 -- Iran's government has launched a plan to offer heavily discounted shares in state-owned companies to the poor as part of a pledge to spread wealth more fairly.
State media say some 4.6 million people will receive packages of shares worth around $500 each. But the plan does not include Iran's oil and gas industries, and economists fear poor Iranians could find themselves holding stocks in failing companies.
(Reuters)