MPs approve addendum to 2021 State Budget Law

AMMAN — The Lower House on Monday approved the draft of an addendum to the 2021 State Budget Law.

Lawmakers also approved the anti-money laundering and combating the financing of terrorism law as amended by the Senate, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported. 

The draft is part of Jordan's international commitment to anti-money laundering, combating the financing of terrorism  and the non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.

The addendum covers the costs of the COVID-related mitigation and stimulus procedures the government announced in March. The expenditures are covered by a US grant of JD263 million that allocated JD78.5 million for current expenditures and JD184.5 million for capital spending.  

As stipulated in the State Budget Law, no expenditure or allowance shall be disbursed without having an explicit allocation in the budget. If there is a public interest, an addendum shall be issued before disbursement of funds, according to the State Budget Law. 

Finance Minister Mohamad Al-Ississ expressed keenness to follow up on the MPs’ recommendations regarding the addendum. He noted that the government resorted to the addendum due to the urgent need to face repercussions of the COVID pandemic, serve various sectors and provide liquidity for citizens. 

Al-Ississ pointed out that the addendum is deficit-free and will not incur any additional burden on the public debt, especially since the US grant, through the efforts of His Majesty King Abdullah, covers spending. 

The addendum’s expenditures include JD50 million to 60,000 beneficiary families of the National Aid Fund, as part of Takaful 3 programme, JD10 million for food coupons for 250,000 households and JD50 million to extend the Istidamah programme until December 31, 2021, he noted. 

The addendum also allocates JD11 million to provide 4,500 temporary jobs through a project to rehabilitate tourist sites, JD10 million to provide 6,000 temporary jobs through a national forestation project, in addition to JD20 million to subsidise 50 per cent of youth and fresh graduates’ wages in digital start-up companies.

The addendum allocates JD10 million for the industrial sector to enhance its exportation abilities and provide more jobs, JD10 million to appoint 3,000 teachers at the Education Ministry in the current year and JD2 million to subsidise the interests of loans for new agricultural projects that target youth and women.

Also on Monday, the Lower House started deliberations over the 2021 municipalities and decentralisation draft law.  

The Chamber approved a number of the bill’s draft articles as referred by the joint administrative and legal parliamentary committee.

 The 2021 municipalities and decentralisation draft law aims to enhance public participation in decision making and implement decentralisation at the governorates level. It also aims to strengthen the complementary role between the governors and the municipal councils, Petra reported.