Jordan- IAF calls for controlling expenditure 

(MENAFN - Jordan Times) The Islamic Action Front (IAF) on Saturday called on the government to control expenditure in light of what it described as a "high" state budget deficit and public indebtedness.

In a statement issued yesterday, the IAF, the political arm of the Muslim Brotherhood, called for drawing up a plan to address the budget deficit and to avoid resorting to borrowing.

According to official figures, the budget deficit for the first three quarters of this year reached JD875.5 million due to the increase in expenditures, coupled with a drop in foreign assistance, while at the end of September last year, the budget deficit was JD249.2 million.

The IAF indicated that Jordan's overall public debt currently stands at JD9.5 billion and is nearing the maximum level set by the Public Debt Law, calling for cutting expenditures, which it said increased by 40 per cent over the past four years compared to the gross domestic product.

The IAF said priority should be given to the implementation of income-generating projects, which will help alleviate poverty and unemployment, and called for confronting all types of corruption and mismanagement of financial resources.

In addition, the IAF called for a new income tax law that imposes higher taxes on those who make high profits, saying it objects to the current income tax bill the government forwarded to the Lower House.

To help in addressing the budget deficit and rising public expenditure, the IAF called for merging public councils and commissions and cancelling some of them.

By Mohammad Ghazal