IMF says expanding taxpayer base helps the vulnerable

AMMAN — Director of the Middle East and Central Asia Department at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Jihad Azour on Saturday said that financial reforms the Jordanian government is implementing are part of a programme it prepared to achieve financial and economic stability.

Azour told the Jordan News Agency, Petra, that the IMF-supervised programme aims at achieving tax reforms and a more established ascending order of tax levies and expanding the taxpayers base.

Increasing the number of taxpayers seeks to alleviate burdens off the shoulders of the vulnerable segments of society and achieve more benefits, the IMF director noted, adding that certain economic sectors should not be affected by the fiscal correction process. 

Azour added that he has recently held several meetings with officials, in addition to other meetings between IMF and government officials, on the progress made towards achieving reforms, especially at the financial level, according to Petra in its Friday report.

The IMF wants Jordan to change its tax system to increase the number of taxpayers, citing that 95 per cent of Jordanians are not paying income tax.