GAM revenues dropped by JD31m between March and May — report

AMMAN — A new performance report issued by the Greater Amman Municipality (GAM) revealed that its revenues from March to May have decreased by JD31 million.

The report, titled “Institutional Performance and Amman’s Resilience in Confronting the Novel Coronavirus” was issued last week.

From the period March 18 to May 12, tax and fee collections amounted to about JD3 million, with 52 per cent of citizens’ cheques for various fees returned and therefore not collected.

As for the municipality’s expenditure during the same period, the GAM spent about JD36 million, which is about JD27 million less than it did last year.

“Our expenditure was limited to ongoing projects, salaries and bills that have to be paid to sustain outwork,” said GAM Spokesperson Nasser Rahamneh.

Rahamneh noted that the budget has been “significantly affected, especially in terms of revenues, as citizens have been reluctant to pay taxes and fees even if they can be paid online”.

He added that “this behaviour is expected as citizens fear for the future and might want to save their money for any unexpected event caused by the pandemic.”

The report prepared by the municipality recommended finding new sources of revenue other than taxes and fees by “promoting the idea of investment to stimulate cash flows that can also contribute to covering the expenses of the municipality”.

Given the Kingdom’s current circumstances, Rahamneh said that apart from the digitisation of tax and fee payments, the municipality is working on a “holistic plan to ensure the continuation of remote financial work in the installment process so that the number of returned cheques is reduced”.

The plan also includes the “offering of specialised courses to employees so that their efficiency when working remotely is maximised”.

Meanwhile, the report recommended a “review of city planning at the neighbourhood level, relying on the principle of integrated neighbourhoods, so that basic services, public facilities and urban spaces are available within walking distance,” in regard to basic services.

It noted that integrated neighbourhoods, in addition to accessibility, ensure the availability and “fair distribution of services” according to the needs of citizens.