Income, sales tax revenues increased by 8% in 2020 — ISTD

AMMAN — Income and sales tax revenues in 2020 went up by 8 per cent to JD4.668 billion, compared with JD4.323 billion in 2019, Income and Sales Tax Department (ISTD) Director General Hussam Abu Ali said on Sunday. 

Sales tax revenues in 2020 amounted to JD3.53 billion, compared with JD3.302 billion the year before, marking an increase of JD227 million or 7 per cent, Abu Ali said as reported by the Jordan News Agency, Petra. 

As for the income tax revenues, the director general said they were up by 12 per cent in 2020, amounting to JD1.138 billion, compared with JD1.02 in 2019.

In December alone, income and sales tax revenues stood at JD397 million, compared with JD388 million collected in December 2019, he noted.  

Abu Ali attributed the increase, despite the COVID-19 pandemic, to the department's reform strategy that it implemented last year, which focused on expanding the tax base and fighting tax evasion, Petra reported. 

Enhancing confidence of taxpayers also played a positive role, especially through applying settlements with taxpayers who had pending cases with the ISTD, the director said, praising taxpayers' cooperation with the department in terms of providing tax statements on time and paying their dues without delays.