Perhaps the time has come to reopen the subsidy file in the state's general budget. The aim is not to abolish it or to infringe on Jordanians' rights and gains, but to reorganize it, correct its distortions, and ensure it reaches those who truly deserve it.
اضافة اعلان
Jordan faces highly sensitive economic and regional conditions, from regional turmoil and volatile oil and gas prices to rising shipping and insurance costs and disrupted supply chains. In such circumstances, the efficiency of public spending is an economic necessity, not an option.
Subsidies in their various forms represent a large expenditure in the budget. By circulating estimates, they exceed 1.2 billion dinars and cover fuel, gas, wheat, animal feed, water, and electricity, in addition to other sectors and services.
But the question that should be asked today is not "Should we abolish subsidies?" It is: who receives the subsidy, and does it actually reach those who need it?
Jordan's most notable experience in this area dates back to 2008, when Nader Dahabi's government was the only one to deal with the subsidy file seriously and with a direct economic remedy. It lifted subsidies on fuel while keeping the subsidy on the gas cylinder. In return, it took measures to compensate citizens, including raising the salaries of state employees from 45 to 50 dinars. Regardless of how that experience and its results are judged, it represents a model of a clear economic decision on a file that had been one of the most sensitive for years. As for subsequent governments, their handling of this file was dominated, to varying degrees, by a logic of collection and raising revenue, rather than building an integrated policy to redirect subsidies, improve spending efficiency, and ensure they reach those entitled to them.
Universal subsidies, when they do not sufficiently distinguish between low-income and financially capable people, or between the different groups who benefit from them, can lead to a portion of public resources leaking to non-targeted groups. In the case of the gas cylinder, the 2026 budget allocated about 80 million dinars for the subsidy, while allocations for supporting food commodities such as wheat and animal feed came to about 171 million.
Reforming subsidies does not mean depriving any group of its legal or humanitarian rights. It means moving toward more targeted, fair, and efficient support, based on accurate databases and clear eligibility criteria.
The state also spends 280 million dinars on cash assistance through the National Aid Fund, 124 million on treating cancer patients, 50 million on medical treatment and exemptions, 80 million on supporting universities, 35 million on the Student Support Fund, and 210 million on municipal development.
All of these items deserve periodic economic review, not necessarily to reduce them, but to measure their impact and make sure they achieve their goals.
In the 2026 budget, public debt interest amounts to about 2.26 billion dinars, while the deficit after grants is estimated at about 2.125 billion. Given these figures, no public dinar can be treated as spending without a cost.
Opening the subsidy file does not mean raising prices, and it does not mean abandoning the citizen. It means protecting public money so that the state can protect the citizen more sustainably.
What is needed is for someone to dare to open the file again, but with an economic mind, social responsibility, and a clear lesson from the past, without infringing on Jordanians' rights and gains.
