AMMAN — The head of the Lower House’s Financial
Committee urged the government Saturday to increase its control over the market
and establish price ceilings on goods and services.
اضافة اعلان
MP Mohammad Al-Saudi also stressed reducing demand
for commodities as an effective method of reducing their price.
Some political
parties have also called on the public to boycott oil derivatives and other
essentials to pressure the government to lower prices.
In an interview with Jordan News, Saudi said
that the committee is in direct and regular contact with the officials
responsible for price ceilings, and that they are currently examining social
protection systems.
He did, however, add that he is unsatisfied with the
government’s performance and that the situation requires swifter research and
decision-making.
The lawmaker further said that the public’s boycott
of chicken helped to facilitate the foodstuff’s subsequent price fall, which it
could do again with other commodities.
Rather than a complete boycott, however, he said
that a reduction in purchases would result in price decreases automatically.
Wages have not increased since 2008 despite regular
price increases, according to Saudi, who added that the government’s focus now
is on increasing social protections such that wages are consistent with
Jordan’s high prices.
The lawmaker attributed much of the global price
increases to the war in Ukraine, rising oil prices, and worldwide supply-chain
disruptions, but contended that merchants also took advantage of the resulting
rise in prices by hiking prices further without explanation.
He said that the government should investigate
market prices and set precise price ceilings to reduce price gouging and that
there should be continuous control over the market, especially now.
Calls for more boycotts
Secretary-General of the Al-Hayat Jordanian Party Abdul Fattah Al-Kilani
told Jordan News in an interview that some parties are urging the public
to boycott certain commodities in order to pressure the government into
lowering prices and introducing price caps on fuel, among other goods.
He noted that, in
2007, the state spent JD700 million on subsidizing oil derivatives, while today
the government’s taxation of oil derivatives raises JD1.2 billion annually. In
light of the current circumstances, Kilani said it is within the public’s
rights to ask the government to lower taxes where possible.
Kilani said he was
optimistic that this popular action would encourage the government to protect
the rights of the public without undermining the rights of merchants and
producers.
In 1985, the UN
adopted the “guidelines for consumer protection” in which it laid out, among
other things, consumers’ rights to be heard and seek redressal against unfair
trade practices. According to Kilani, Jordanians are doing the latter today.
According to Murad
Al-Adayleh, secretary-general of the Islamic Action Front, boycotting is a
Jordanian’s right and a democratic way to show opposition to price increases,
in which government taxes play a significant role.
According to him,
citizens should boycott imported items — particularly those subject to high
government taxes — as a method to promote and protect local products while also
exerting pressure on the government to lower taxes.
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