AMMAN — In light of increasing prices of fuel and other essential commodities,
experts are warning that there would be consequences if the government does not
intervene to control prices in the local market.
اضافة اعلان
MP Salem Al-Omari said this week that “the
implications of these increases are felt by low-income citizens, who are
burdened by basic living expenses.” In light of difficult economic conditions
and spiking prices, “there is a need to reconsider the fuel file and taxes,
which have resulted in a significant increase in prices of services and goods,”
Omari said.
He called on the government to intervene by setting
price ceilings adding that this is its duty, and this should not be left to
traders and suppliers.
Economic analyst
Mohammad Basheer told
Jordan
News that as costs rise, demand for goods and services falls, which in turn
reflects negatively on taxes collected and revenues entering the state
Treasury.
He pointed to the role of consumers in reacting to
price hikes through peaceful means by rejecting successive price spikes, as
they did by boycotting the purchase of chicken.
Referring to what is happening now in the market,
Basheer pointed to what he called “interconnected consumption chain reaction”,
which is triggered by a rise in fuel and energy prices leading to increases in
the price of essential goods and services. He added that the problem does not
end there, but that there are other severe consequences, such as an increase in
the unemployment rate, a rise in societal violence and
crimes, and other
numerous implications that may follow.
Mohammad Obeidat, head of the National Society for
Consumer Protection, told
Jordan News that the Ministry of Industry,
Trade, and Supply should form a committee of experts to investigate the
underlying factors behind the rise in the cost of goods and services before
setting price ceilings.
Read more Features
Jordan News
.jpg)
.jpg)
