Lawmakers urge support for citizens

AMMAN — Senate and Lower House Finance Committees' Presidents MPs Raji Muahser and Ahmad Safadi on Friday stressed the importance of directing subsidies to citizens not to commodities, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported. 

In an interview with Jordan TV's "60 Minutes", Muasher and Safdi highlighted the need to support the medium and low income classes and the continuation of the economic reform process.

Muasher said that Prime Minister Hani Mulki told the Senate's economic committee that the income tax exempting groups whose income is JD24,000 for families and JD12,000 for individuals will not be affected by the government's measure related to income tax.

He stressed the need to address tax evasion through applying the relevant laws, improving collection mechanisms, imposing strict penalties against tax evaders, and including informal economy, which constitutes 30 per cent of total Jordanian economy.

The MP said that subsidies have to be directed to the middle and low-income classes, as there are three million non-Jordanians who currently benefit from the subsidies.

He added that the government has "inherited" $1.3 billion of uncollected dues and is seeking a solution to the problem.

Muasher noted that the responsibility to deal with the economic situation should be collective.

Last week, His Majesty King Abdullah announced that there will be "no leniency" in dealing with tax evasion, adding that the government will present a new Tax Law that imposes strict penalties on tax evaders, instead of increasing burdens on ordinary citizens.