An Oct. 31 report commissioned by the Kuwaiti Finance Ministry appeared to reveal a plan to reduce the country's subsidy bill — which accounted for 26 percent of the 2014-15 budget — to zero by 2020. (The ministry then denied the plan's existence the following day.) Though such a drastic decrease is unlikely to actually occur, the fact that the ministry may even be entertaining the possibility underscores the severity of Kuwait's economic predicament. Despite its tiny population and territory, Kuwait is in a sticky financial situation, thanks in large part to its heavy reliance on oil revenue. Though it has a considerable reserve cushion, the Kuwaiti government collected only $40.3 billion in oil revenue in the 2015-16 fiscal year, a figure that is projected to drop further still to $33.7 billion in 2016-17.