Jordan farmers to sue government over new tax

Jordanian farmers are planning to file a lawsuit against the government over the new ten per cent agriculture tax that was introduced in January.

A spokesman for farmers protesting in front of the parliament building, Abdul-Shakur Jamjoom, said the new tax will negatively affect the citizens by increasing poultry prices.

Representatives of the protesters met with the Committee on Public Liberties and Human Rights at the Bar Association.

Meanwhile, Jordan Agricultural Engineers Association Vice President, Nihad Alimi, said the National Centre for Human Rights had contacted representatives of farmers participating in the sit-in and requested a meeting with them this week.

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Jordanian farmers have been staging a sit-in for 24 consecutive days in front of the parliament building in protest of the new tax.

Earlier in January, the Jordanian cabinet announced a “structural reform of the tax system” which included a ten per cent tax on the inputs and outputs of the agricultural sector.