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Ammon News - AMMONNEWS - Prime Minister, Hani Mulki, said Sunday the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) sector is one of the most important and promising services sectors, which adds value to the national economy and creates jobs for Jordanians.

Speaking to representatives of the ICT sector and a number of entrepreneurs, Mulki noted that Jordan has been successful over the years in several sectors, the most important of which is the ICT sector, both locally and regionally.

The meeting, which was held 10 days after the meeting with the ICT Advisory Council, aims to initiate a dialogue with all economic sectors in order to find solutions to economic challenges facing Jordan, the prime minister added.

He said the government is discussing its financial and economic reform program aimed at addressing distortions with exemptions in parallel with a plan to stimulate economic growth.

Mulki emphasized the importance of pursuing self-reliance as a strategic objective. He pointed out that most tax exemptions granted to some sectors had no desirable impact whether in prices cuts or achieving higher growth.

He underlined the government's commitment to "supporting the citizen and not the commodity", saying a non-Jordanian third of the Kingdom's population benefits from blanket subsidies.

The premier said the government has started to think up a mechanism to channel subsidy to eligible Jordanians.

The ICT sector can help the government devise mechanisms through which it can direct subsidy to citizens instead of subsidizing goods randomly, Mulki noted, stressing that the subsidy will be provided to its beneficiaries in a continuous manner and every year.

As for the income tax, the prime minister indicated that the government's program aims to improve the efficiency of tax collection and fight tax evasion and there will be no amendments regarding individuals and families.

The ICT representatives shared their visions on developing and promoting the sector and meeting the challenges it faces, underlining the importance of attracting investments to other sectors.

They called on the government to speed up the implementation of legislations on entrepreneurship and electronic commerce.

The meeting was attended by Minister of State for Media Affairs, Mohammad Al-Momani, Minister of Communications and Information Technology Majd Shweikeh and members of the ICT Advisory Council.

*Petra