Public expenditure declines by JD162m — report

AMMAN — The decline in public expenditures totalled around JD162 million after the government made a decision in May to control spending and contain the budget deficit, Al Rai daily reported on Monday.

The total drop in current and capital expenditures for 2019 reached some JD138.5 million, excluding decentralisation projects, while the amount of reduction of capital projects came in at JD23.2 million, Al Rai said. 

Prime Minister Omar Razzaz in May directed all stakeholders to consider reducing current and capital expenditures and present recommendations.

Razzaz had also approved a recommendation by Finance Minister Ezzeddine Kanakrieh to stop the implementation of capital projects whose construction had not started, except priority schemes and ventures associated with grants and loans. 

The JD138.5 million included JD92.5 million in the General Budget Law (JD12.8 million for current expenditure and JDJD79.7 million for capital spending) and JD46 million from the budgets of government units (JD8.2 million for current spending and JD37.8 million for the capital expenditure), according to the report.

The reduction value of ministries and government departments and independent government units totalled JD26.5 million, the daily said.

The 26.5 million is divided into JD17.8 million from ministries and public departments (JD3.4 million and JD14.4 million for current and capital spending respectively) and JD8.7 million from independent government units (JD3 million and JD5.7 million for current and capital expenditures respectively).