MPs criticise hikes in gas cylinder price, car licence fees

AMMAN — MPs on Thursday called on the government to stop resorting to citizens' pockets as the only means to solve economic problems, citing recent decisions to increase vehicle licensing fees and the price of gas cylinders.

In their pleas, mostly taking the form of memoranda and official letters sent to the government and the Lower House speaker, deputies described the new price hikes as "unfair, untimely and arbitrary", warning that citizens' patience has limits.

In a letter to Lower House Speaker Atef Tarawneh, MP Assaf Shobaki (Amman, 4th District) called for a vote of no confidence against the government, accusing it of making citizens' lives unbearable.

"Your government is taking advantage of citizens' keenness on the country's security and stability to 'innovate' unprecedented and unheard-of money-collecting methods," Shobaki said in another letter to Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour, warning that the government's policies would lead to greater anxiety among citizens and social unrest.

In his two letters, copies of which were made available to The Jordan Times, the MP described the recent increases in the price of gas cylinders and car licensing fees as "unconstitutional", citing Article 111 of the Constitution. 

According to the said article, "No tax or duty may be imposed except by law. Taxes and duties shall not include the various kinds of fees which the Treasury charges in respect of services rendered to members of the public by government departments or in consideration of benefits accruing to them from the state domain. In imposing taxes, the government shall be guided by the principles of progressive taxation, coupled with the attainment of equality and social justice, provided that taxation shall not exceed the capacity of taxpayers or the state’s requirements for funds."

Describing the recent decision to raise gas cylinder prices as "unjustified" in light of the decline in international oil prices, MP Khamis Atiyyeh (Homeland list) urged the government to reverse the decision, especially in light of people's house-heating requirements in winter.

"There is a need for prudent economic policies that safeguard the middle class other than the arbitrary and never-curbed hikes in prices of basic commodities," Atiyyeh said in a memo he referred to Ensour.

Deputy Rudaina Ati (Zarqa) said in a statement on Thursday that pressure on citizens is mounting day by day to the point that "they no longer trust the government's decisions".

Ati said Ensour's government has failed to transform its development and social welfare pledges into tangible facts on the ground and has been adopting strict austerity measures "as if entirely ignorant of citizens' economic woes".

Echoing her colleagues, Ati called on the government to cancel its recent decisions and "stop testing citizens' patience and endurance".

Earlier this week, the government increased the price of the 12-kilogramme gas cylinder, used for cooking and in winter for heating, to JD7.50 from JD7 under the new pricing list.

New charges for car licences went into effect Tuesday, with the fee for cars with engines under 1,600cc set at JD45.Licences for cars with 1,600 to 2,000cc engines will cost JD64, while the rate rises to JD173 for engines with a capacity between 2,000 and 2,500cc.The fee rises to JD225 and JD440 for vehicles whose engines are sized 2,500-3,000cc and 3,000-4,000cc, respectively.

Owners of vehicles with 4,000cc engines have to pay JD650 for the car licence under the new system.