Hassan says all comments on new income tax law will be considered

AMMAN — All comments received on the 2018 amendments to the Income Tax Law are taken into consideration by the government, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Economic Affairs Jafar Hassan said Wednesday.

Hassan added that discussions on the new draft law are held on a daily basis with stakeholders and experts, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

The minister also pointed out that several amendments to the draft law have been made based on the demands of various sectors, especially those items related to burden of tax proof, settlement, reconciliations and other issues that would facilitate the tax statement process.

Hassan’s remarks came during a meeting at the Economic and Social Council on the draft law attended by a number of ministers and concerned officials.

Hassan, who heads the government’s economic team, stressed that the new amendments are aimed at putting in place a “reformative, stable and just” law for taxpayers and all sectors, noting that the financial policy seeks to achieve fiscal stability to face the “accumulated” economic challenges and stimulate growth, Petra said.

Last week, the Cabinet approved the validating reasons for a draft law amending the Income Tax Law for 2018 and referred it to the Legislation and Opinion Bureau.

In a related development, the Income and Sales Tax Department (ISTD) on Thursday announced that the new law does not stipulate any fines on those people with no income who fail to submit tax statement.

In a statement carried by Petra, the ISTD added that the video circulated on social media claiming that the new income tax law imposes a JD100 fine on every person who reaches 18 for not providing a tax statement is “baseless”.