The abolition of the Maldives Media Council (MMC) and the Maldives Broadcasting Commission (Broadcom) to form the new Maldives Media and Broadcasting Commission saved only MVR 200,000 from the state budget.
According to the proposed state budget for 2026, MVR 16.32 million has been allocated for the Control Commission. This year's budget included MVR 4.9 million for the MMC and MVR 11.54 million for the Broadcom.
This means that forming a single commission to control the media saves only MVR 243,760 from the state budget.
The ruling People's National Congress (PNC) MPs claimed that forming a single commission would significantly ease the burden on the state budget. Thulhaadhoo MP Abdul Hannan Aboobakuru, who proposed the bill, said the two commissions would be merged to reduce the cost of regulating the media.
He said the MMC and Broadcom were two powerless institutions with huge expenditures.
The parliament's Public Accounts Committee advised President Mohamed Muizzu in February that the merger of the MMC and Broadcom would significantly reduce expenditure.
