(MENAFN- Alghad Newspaper)
A lot rides on the government's upcoming decisions. If the government pushes for the pending amendments, rest assured, the middle class will erode at an exponential rate, and the situation will worsen even more.
Time is perhaps the one luxury the government doesn't have.
So, the Prime Minister, Dr Hani Mulqi, launched the national dialogue we've all been waiting for, in an attempt to explain the government's stand on the matter.
While at it, the government should discuss with the respective parties all possible alternatives, tweaks, solutions to the impending economic disaster.
Instead of reaching out to the economic and social sectors affected by the pending decisions, the Premier's the first step was to meet with both houses of Parliament.
As positive a step as it may sound, it would have served the purpose of the dialogue much better, had the government first reached out to the respective sectors, in order to facilitate a clearer agenda and cut time on the process!
The effective way to go about this would be to include the sectors' suggestions all in a proposition or two, or ten, and submit them to Parliament.
This way, everybody's two cents on the matter would be considered, especially those most affected by the matter at hand, and it would save much time on side-line negotiations!
Speaking of alternatives, as far as the leaks go, it seems the government intends to address all of the elephants in the room.
Everything is on the table; every single expense is to be revisited.
This goes beyond taxation to bread and electricity, never mind the premier's pledges to AlGhad, yesterday, that bread and tax exemptions are not to be touched!
Nothing is off the table!
Most likely, the government has already made up its mind, but this time they seem more open to discussing it publically, which is good.
Keeping an open mind to alternatives is positive, and communication is always good.
Especially when it comes to such difficult decisions, more so when it is the citizen who's going to pay for it!
It's going to be a bumpy ride for Jordanians, but at least they'll what they're up against; eroding incomes, inflation, diminishing wages, all of it!
In the meantime, the economy is unable to create jobs with an added value that would compensate for costs of all these decisions to come!
The least a government in such a position could do is try to communicate with the people!
Eventually, the government is going to look into every single option it has before it, and the Prime Minister will be sure to make the least damaging decisions.
As a reminder for the government, maybe, instead of thinking about cutting subsidies on bread and power, and pushing tax amendments, the government should consider addressing tax manipulation and evasion!
Combined, tax evasion and estimate manipulation cost the treasury nearly one billion Jordanian Dinars every year, several government sources have confirmed!
It doesn't make sense for the government to increase excisions and taxes, all the while turning a blind eye to the holes in its purse!
All around the Capital, there is evidence of monumental tax evasion, from the Khalidi Street, with hundreds of clinics and medical centres, to the streets with dozens of car dealerships on both sides.
Every one of us has at least one story to tell about the unfathomable amounts pumped into these streets, notwithstanding, and all of it goes under the radar.
What happened to the government's self-proclaimed billing system? Everything the Finance Ministry and the Tax Department did to help combat tax evasion; any results?
There must be something else the government can do, as opposed to squeezing dry taxpayers and tax-abiding business!
Putting together a number of task-forces is one, dedicated to compiling related information and following up on these issues.
Meanwhile, officials need to keep their word in regards to combatting petty corruption in the public sphere; a sizeable bite of the Treasury's income is lost on it.
The same goes for evasion and estimate manipulations.
All things considered, the positive and the negative, the premier seems to be on the right track, launching the dialogue!
Communication and the open exchange of views, is the only way to rebuilding the public's trust and the only way to include the people in on such a difficult decision.
Needless to say, the Premier knows the journey is long and weary, but he needs to clear the path, one step at a time!
This article is an edited translation of the Arabic version, published by AlGhad.
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