By Mohammad Ben Hussein

AMMAN - The Jordan Pharmacists Association (JPhA) on Saturday urged the government to reconsider the sales tax imposed on pharmaceutical products, saying it will lead to a further increase in prices of medicine.

Last week, the JPhA threatened to close pharmacies across the Kingdom for four hours on July 19, in an effort to have the controversial legislation scrapped in Parliament.

JPhA President Taher Shakhshir said the law "brought more harm than good to society", noting that the government collects nearly JD4 million annually in revenues from sales tax.

"The amount of money generated by the sales tax on pharmaceutical products is minor compared to the great damage it inflicts on a large segment of society, who are no longer able to afford many types of medicines," Shakhshir said.

A final decision on the strike will be taken after a meeting between the JPhA council and heads of the association’s branches across the country, he added.

"Medicine is not a luxury item, it is a necessity that people cannot do without," he noted.

Last month, the JPhA launched an ambitious drive to collect one million signatures on a letter that calls for scrapping the law, whose opponents believe medication should be cheaply available to all citizens, rich and poor.

"Activists have distributed leaflets and posters across the Kingdom, thanks to relentless efforts by JPhA members in the 12 governorates," Shakhshir said.

"We will not stop until one million signatures are collected," he added, noting that all pharmacies in the country were asked to abide by JPhA decisions.

The government has included 600 out of the Kingdom's 1,800 pharmacies in the Sales Tax Law, with only pharmacies that earn JD75,000 or more annually subject to taxation.

The law has been in effect since 2002, but pharmacists were reluctant to go on strike due to internal differences within the association, according to Malik Saad, a member of the JPhA Zarqa branch.

Pressure from members in the southern region forced the JPhA leadership to take action, he told The Jordan Times yesterday.

Not all pharmacists, however, approve of the strike.

Ahmed Radhi, whose pharmacy is located in the densely populated suburb of Sweileh, described the proposed closure as an “extreme" measure, warning against the negative impact it could have on those who urgently need medicine.

"We cannot close our doors to patients because of a financial dispute with the government; we need to find another way to revoke the law," he said.

But other JPhA members believe that strong action by pharmacists and ongoing campaigns could yield positive results.

"We can afford to close pharmacies briefly, but if no action is taken to scrap the legislation it will be hard to observe an open-ended strike due to health concerns," said Abdullah Mohammad from the capital’s Al Eman Pharmacy.