Senate starts debating general budget
15-01-2018 06:43 AM
Ammon News - AMMONNEWS - The Senate started on Monday debating the 2018 draft laws for the state budget and the budgets of independent government units.
During the session, which was chaired by Senate President Faisal Al Fayez and attended by Prime Minister Hani Al Mulki and cabinet members, Rapporteurs of the Senate's Financial and Economic Committee Senator Umayya Toukan read the committee's report in addition to 18 recommendations on the 2018 state budget.
The report called for setting up an integrated system for self-reliance in cooperation with the civil society and private sector institutions, studying the restructuring of the General Budget Department, putting a comprehensive plan to stop wasting public money and providing support to people whose income does not exceed JD1000.
The report also called for examining electricity tariff, activating the partnership law between the public and private sectors, conducting a comprehensive study on tax system, addressing tax evasion and allocating funds to promote Jordan as an investment destination.
Other recommendations included conducting a study for energy resources, and examining the social impact of projects and development, economic and financial policies on poverty and unemployment, drafting a new law for social work and regulating the labor market to replace foreign workers with Jordanians.
The report also called for reviewing the Social Security law in order to raise the retirement age to 63.