PM says gov't prevented increase in prices of 91 commodities

AMMAN — Government procedures under the financial and structural reform programme have prevented the increase in prices of 91 food items and basic commodities, Prime Minister Hani Mulki said late Thursday.

Mulki made these remarks during an iftar banquet with the board of directors of the Jordan Chamber of Commerce (JCC) and other commercial representatives in the Kingdom, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported on Friday.

The financial and structural programme agreed upon with the International Monetary Fund is “highly important”, because it entails increasing revenues and reducing unjustified expenditure, which stands at around JD164 million, the premier said.

The 2016-2019 programme aims at confronting the challenges of low economic growth, high unemployment rates, high public debt rates compared to the gross domestic product and the widening budget deficit.

The government’s decisions include raising the price of cigarettes by 50 fils a packet and 100 fils a packet in Aqaba, which is a duty-free zone.

The government also decided to scrap a Cabinet decision taken last August under which sales tax on clothes, bags, watches, perfume, jewellery, toys and cosmetics was reduced from 16 to 8 per cent, while the customs duties on these items were lowered by between 5 and 30 per cent.

The government also decided to raise the special tax on liquor from JD3.75 a litre to JD5.5 a litre; add a fixed charge of 25 fils on each litre of gasoline, diesel and kerosene; increase ownership transfer fees of private cars; and reduce tax exemptions on imported used cars.

Mulki also referred to a youth employment project that will be implemented by the Development and Employment Fund through a JD25 million budget, with low interest rates to encourage young people to establish their own businesses, provided that they do not employ guest workers, Petra added.