AMMAN —
Lawmakers on Wednesday described the general budget for 2022 as “traditional”
and containing nothing that could help tackle economic challenges.
اضافة اعلان
The House of
Representatives continued discussing the agenda of the ninth session for the
third day; the agenda includes the general budget and the budgets of government
units draft laws for the year 2022.
Political and
administrative reform, economic policies, and the challenges of the COVID-19
pandemic, topped the parliamentary discussions.
Deputies’ demands
included: adopting plans for economic recovery, dealing with the budget
deficit, indebtedness, and the significant rise in unemployment and poverty
rates, a road map to attract investment, and individual demands for services
for their respective constituencies.
MP Omar Ayasrah
told
Jordan News that the budget is below Jordanians’ expectations and
will not help deal with urgent issues, such as unemployment.
Ayasrah said that
his bloc will not approve the budget unless the government meets its demand,
which is not to fine citizens who did not pay income or sales taxes, or failed
to pay their dues to municipalities. Another demand is to extend the grace
period during which individuals have to pay inheritance registration fees, or
property sale taxes for apartments and lands until the end of this year, said
Ayasrah.
MP Majid
Rawashdeh told
Jordan News that the capital expenditure on tourism,
standing at JD79 million, is “humble”, given the volume of income the sector
generates.
Rawashdeh also
said that the total spending on the water sector, JD16 million, is very low,
and asked that it be increased, particularly to help find new water sources.
Economist Zayan
Zawaneh told
Jordan News that 80 percent of the budget goes to salaries
of public employees and retirees, but there is no spending on economic
development.
“This is the
result of fiscal policies of governments over the past 10 years, which were not
in line with His Majesty King Abdullah’s directives to focus on economic
development,” Zawaneh said. He added that there are around 25 independent
institutions and commissions that could be merged with relevant ministries to
save money.
There should be a three
of five-year plan to restructure the budget and focus on stimulating the
economy by launching strategic projects in vital sectors, such as transport and
renewable energy, and by increasing an efficient partnership between the public
and the private sectors, he added.
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