Jordan reshuffles cabinet

Jordan’s Prime Minister Omar Al-Razzaz announced a cabinet reshuffle today, which officials said consolidated the grip of technocrats charged with speeding up IMF-guided economic reforms crucial to rejuvenate sluggish growth.

Al-Razzaz, a former World Bank economist, was appointed by King Abdullah II in June after mass protests erupted across the country over austerity measures which the government was trying to pass through.

Thousands of Jordanians demonstrated in Amman in May calling for the withdrawal of a new income tax bill, with unions warning that if legislators do not reconsider the bill a mass strike would be called in an effort to bring down the government.

In September the government released a revised draft of the income tax bill which would tax individuals whose annual income exceeds 9,000 Jordanian dinars ($12,700) as well as families whose yearly income exceeds 18,000 Jordanian dinars ($25,300).

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