According to Finance Minister Mohammed Al-Jadaan, tripling the value-added tax (VAT) to 15% was the highest of the government's difficult choices in 2020.

Al-Jadaan, one of three ministers included in the dialogue, talked about Vision 2030's accomplishments over the last five years. Al-Jadaan is the Program Director for Financial Sector Growth, Privatization, and Fiscal Sustainability.

The representatives of the Kingdom's Vision 2030 Realization Program Committees met in Riyadh for a consultation session named "Vision 2030 Creates Future Opportunities." The session will cover the Vision's trajectory over the last five years, and future milestones and challenges, and features of the next step.

The Health Sector Transformation Program was led by the Minister of Health Tawfiq Al-Rabiah, the Quality of Life Program was led by Minister of Tourism Ahmed Al-Khatib, and the National Transformation Program was led by Adviser at the Royal Court Muhammad Al-Tuwaijri.

At the start of the workshop, a documentary film was shown that reviewed the Kingdom's Vision 2030 plans and priorities for the next five years, which address all economic sectors, quality of life, tourism growth, and other areas.

According to the Minister of Finance, the Kingdom saved more than SR400 billion in government investment, and the private sector share increased from 45 % to 51 % by 2020. “Saudi Arabia would rethink the value-added tax (VAT) if certain goals are met, such as the Kingdom's GDP growth, economic diversification, and a steady increase in oil prices”, Al-Jadaan added.

Al-Jadaan discussed the most notable structural changes accomplished by the economy because of the Vision, including the growth of the financial sector. In terms of privatization, Minister Al-Jadaan clarified that the financial distribution process for all various industries was checked in tandem with the Vision's achievement. Simultaneously, both programs and organizational expenditures were scrutinized more closely to minimize excessive spending.

In the financial market, he stated that the Kingdom entered international indicators such as FUTC (Facilities under Control), which culminated in the entry of 400 % more investors and international founders, and the entry of an additional SR150 billion into the market, and the introduction of investors who will analyze business opportunities and achieve market balance.

Over the last few months, the debt sector has grown by more than 600 % in terms of sales. The banking sector has seen tremendous growth, particularly financial technology, which has been seen to have a positive impact during the coronavirus pandemic.

By allowing the private sector to play a larger role in delivering services formerly offered by the government and allowing the government to expend more money on more ventures through the utilization of the private sector and its investments.

He reiterated that taxes are an important part of non-oil world countries, indicating that the government's goal is to increase the economy to reduce the economic burden, whether it is in payments or taxes, off the shoulders of citizens or the private sector, indicating that expanding the economy increases revenues, allowing the government to reduce costs off the shoulders of residents and the private sector.

He mentioned the Public Investment Fund project, which would be a valuable tool for public treasury funding after 2030 to decrease the requirement for additional capital, whether by payments or otherwise. The minister stated that there are procedures in place, the most critical of which are those aimed at lowering the unemployment rate, increasing citizens' buying power, and creating an atmosphere in which young men and women will begin working to help small and medium-sized businesses.

He explained that this is a very important factor not only for providing a market atmosphere for people, but also for providing a high job climate, in which a bank for small and medium businesses was founded under the order of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman, and the Crown Prince's directives.

He mentioned that the Ministry of Commerce, as part of the National Transformation Program, introduced the 9/10ths Project to provide resources for citizens' entrepreneurs and young investors to carry out their businesses and actively engage in the economy, thus providing additional income to citizens. He emphasized that the purpose of issuing bonds in euros and reaping the benefits of market trust.

The Vision, according to Tourism Minister Ahmed Al-Khatib, aims to “enhance the lifestyle in the Kingdom's cities” by promoting the growth of living in the city with an emphasis on sports, culture, and tourism facilities.

Al-Khatib went on to say that the Quality of Life Program, which would be part of the Saudi Vision 2030, has an expenditure of about SR60 billion and is tied to 17 different industries. According to the minister, the start of Saudi tourist seasons in 2019 decreased travel to neighboring countries by 30%. The minister has expressed optimism regarding the reopening of operations after the coronavirus pandemic.

He mentioned that the Vision and its services helped lead the way for the development of 1,000 small and medium-sized businesses in the Kingdom's entertainment industry. More than 10,000 activities in entertainment were introduced, resulting in more than 100,000 employees.

According to Al-Khatib, the Kingdom granted 450,000 visas to travelers from outside Saudi Arabia within three months of the coronavirus pandemic. According to Al-Khatib, these figures confirm everyone's willingness to explore the Kingdom with all of its tourism areas and locations.

He reiterated the significance of the work that had been completed, especially the work in the sports industry, which was of particular interest because we had hosted many international sporting events.

According to Al-Khatib, the Ministry of Culture has formed 11 cultural committees as well as a culture development fund. The Ministry of Tourism, the Saudi Commission for Tourism, the Tourism Development Fund, and the Tourism Development Board all worked in the field of tourism.

He emphasized that the Green Riyadh Project strives to enhance the quality of life, cultural diversity, and the climate of other initiatives. He mentioned that more than 500,000 hotel rooms and a variety of initiatives would be included to expand availability over the next five years.

Tawfiq Al-Rabiah, Minister of Health, announced that 200.000 people enroll in the Kingdom every day to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. Dr. Al-Rabiah reported that King Salman's assistance and the Crown Prince's close monitoring led to the Kingdom's Vision 2030 successes over the last five years.

He said, "Also, the Crown Prince talked a few days ago about the strides that have been made, and at the start of the Vision, he said that we are not talking about a fantasy, but about a fact that will come true. We see the truth, and we see the achievements that have been made in a limited amount of time."

Dr. Al-Rabiah said that advancements in the health field have greatly contributed to coping with the coronavirus pandemic in all walks of life with high and distinct efficiency.

The minister said about the progress achieved in the health sector, "People used to struggle to schedule appointments in 2015, but now every person can schedule an appointment via the Mawid and Sehhaty applications. The resident may then attend the consultation within three to four days. We opened this service two and a half years ago, and since then, more than 76 million appointments have been scheduled, with almost 150,000 appointments scheduled daily."

"Every day, about 200,000 people schedule an appointment for the immunization, and see the results and certificate of vaccinations via the Sehhaty app," Dr. Al-Rabiah continued. Furthermore, electronic prescribing was introduced almost two and a half years ago, with nearly 12,500,000 prescriptions released so far. Any commercial pharmacies release over 30,000 prescriptions every day.”

He mentioned that the facilities of the heart centres, in addition to cardiac catheter centres, have so far reached 30 centres in the Kingdom. According to Dr. Al-Rabiah, one of the pillars of the Health Sector Transformation Initiative, which was authorized at the end of 2019, is to improve health care and change industries.

He went on to say that the initiative is aimed at all health providers, both public and private, and other agencies inside the health services framework, such as the Saudi Food and Drug Authority, the Saudi Commission for Health Specialties, the Saudi Red Crescent Authority, and other sectors inside the health sector system.

He stated that the program's goal is to reorganize the health system so that resources are quickly and conveniently accessible to improve disease prevention.

According to Mohammed Al-Tuwaijri, Chairman of the National Transformation Program Committee, the initiative is one of the oldest and strongest initiatives and has a significant share of the vision targets, equal to about one-third of the Vision's goals in the initiatives.

He noted that ten ministries work together regularly to achieve various targets, the most important of which is the quality of government work to serve citizens and encourage the private sector and facilities.

"In the past, it was appropriate for the recipient to attend at official working times during the weekdays, although today 82 % of the judicial services are automated, implying that in the last five years the e-government soared to approximately 35 %, and 81 % of the services rendered are automated," Al-Tuwaijri said.

The president of the National Transformation Program Committee lauded the program's connectivity system, which has made tremendous strides in international metrics. Similarly, Internet speed in the Kingdom has multiplied 12 times, and 5G is one of the most noticeable milestones, with coverage reaching 60 % in major cities and 45 % in all cities.

Al-Tuwaijri stated that the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development works for women's empowerment. The target in 2020 was to hit 27.5 % of their attendance, and we have now reached 33%. He congratulated the achievements of national development in the traffic sector, noting that incidents have decreased by 51% as a result of the development of traffic rules and guidelines implemented in this area while emphasizing that the National Transformation Program is extensive and seeks to serve citizens, enhance the environment, and encourage investment.