New Jordan PM pledges to scrap controversial income tax bill
Omar al-Razzaz said his government would repeal the bill days after he was appointed in the wake of mass protests.
Jordan’s new Prime Minister Omar al-Razzaz on Thursday announced his government would repeal a controversial income tax bill once he is sworn in by King Abdullah II.
Speaking to reporters after a meeting in the Jordanian parliament, Razzaz said there was a consensus on withdrawing the tax bill that sparked nationwide protests that began last week and had been introduced as part of International Monetary Fund-backed economic reforms.
The king appointed al-Razzaz as the new prime minister on Tuesday and tasked him with reviewing the tax plan and launching a national dialogue with unions and civil society groups.
But protesters demanded the proposed law be scrapped entirely, adding that a cabinet reshuffle was not enough to raise living standards.
The government’s economic reform measures are the latest in a series of economic changes since Amman secured a $723m three-year credit line from the IMF in 2016.