Jordanian lawmakers on Sunday approved an IMF-backed income tax bill after amendments to a controversial draft of the proposed law that triggered a week of angry demonstrations during the summer.
Thousands of Jordanians took to the streets in June to protest against austerity, rising prices and corruption, forcing the prime minister’s resignation and the withdrawal of the bill.
The proposed income tax law was the latest in a series of policies adopted to reduce national debt after Amman secured a $723-million loan from the International Monetary Fund in 2016.
Austerity measures linked to the loan have driven up the cost of basic necessities across the kingdom.
The original bill, which the government approved in June, raised taxes on workers by at least 5%, and on companies by between 20% and 40%.
These measures were left unchanged in the amended version approved on Sunday, according to state media.
– With reporting from Agence France-Presse