Gov't has 'no intention' to hike taxes — Finance minister

AMMAN — Minister of Finance Mohamad Al-Ississ on Sunday announced that the government has adopted a high-level programme to reduce tax evasion, stressing that the government has "no intention" to hike taxes.

Speaking during a press conference held at the Prime Ministry, the minister noted the government has undertaken "extensive" operations to combat tax evasion, which have focused on relevant training and expertise exchange over the past months, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported. 

Jordan has adopted a tax strategy to achieve tax-driven justice and improve opportunities for investment competition, which will preserve the rights of investors and improve Jordan's image as an attractive investment environment implementing fair tax laws, Al-Ississ said.

Discussing money laundering, he said that the government treats this phenomenon as a major criminal evasion offence, as it manipulates financial accounts.

On the ministry’s counter-evasion field efforts, he noted that tax raids on some establishments are the “last option” after extensive investigations, stressing the government’s focus on tax justice and distributing the tax burden fairly.

Commenting on consumer taxes, such as the sales tax, the minister said that they are “not imposed differently on the rich and poor”, adding income tax is a “fair levy”.

The government has decided to focus on tax collection through direct taxes, adding that the main priority is to change the tax culture, he said.

According to Al-Ississ, the government’s measures to combat tax evasion are “not triggered” by the COVID-19 pandemic’s repercussions, but rather preceded the crisis.