Amman - Lower House Speaker Atef Tarawneh announced on Saturday that the government and the Professional Associations Council agreed to continue dialogue on the amended income tax draft law and to form a joint committee to look into amendments to the civil service system.

 

The accord was reached at the end of a meeting between Prime Minister Hani Mulki and the Professional Associations Council at the the Lower House, which was called for by Tarawneh to discuss the amended income tax draft, which was recently referred to the legislature.

 

Mulki said that the government is keen to maintain dialogue to reach understandings on the income tax law to protect the poor and middle class, and achieve the consensus of all parties.

 

He said 70 percent of the reform program has been completed, adding that if the amended income tax law was passed, "we would have completed the program to cross to safety in mid-2019." The premiere referred to the constitutional procedures with regard to legislation, explaining that sending the income tax law to the Lower House does not mean the Council's eventual approval of the draft, part of it or an article in it, adding that "the House is master of itself." The House Speaker pointed out that Jordan is "greater" than the government and tax law, and that "we will not acquiesce to the dictates of the International Monetary Fund, stressing the importance of revisiting the amendments to the civil service law, which is not backed by a large segment of public sector employees.