Amman, The government is committed to honesty, clarity and openness, and its goal is public service, said Prime Minister Bisher Khasawneh in a Lower House of Parliament session on Monday.
The premier stressed the government “adapts and diagnoses the reality,” and explains it to the people, the parliament, and the media with full transparency.
He challenged claims that his government is close to becoming the most borrowing government in the history of the Kingdom, noting that the difference between public revenue, with the high tax base, and basic public spending, of which the wage bill constitutes approximately 70 percent, is two billion, which, he said, “governments have borrowed to cover this basic spending for years.”
The international prices of fuel, whether they go up or down, will be reflected locally, he said, underlining that the public treasury cannot afford another subsidization of fuel. This year, the government subsidized fuel with an amount of JD550 million, the premier explained, and it is unable to do so again because that would result in an increase in indebtedness and budget deficit. Meanwhile, Jordan’s inflation rate is at 4 percent, the lowest compared to surrounding countries, Khasawneh indicated.
Source: Jordan News Agency – Petra