Amman, April 5 (Petra) -- Finance Minister Abdelhakim Shibli said first-quarter results for this year were "positive" despite the repercussions of the regional situation, as domestic revenue rose by about JD34 million, compared with the first quarter of 2025.
Shibli, in press remarks on Sunday, said the current expenditure was implemented in line with the Budget Law, while a "positive" indicator emerged in the form of a 31 percent increase in capital spending by the end of March to JD215 million, compared with JD164 million in the same period last year, due to approval of the Budget Law and its entry into force at the start of the fiscal year.
He said public finances remain "sound without imbalance" from the war, noting that the government has taken a range of measures to ease the burden on citizens, as all commodities, including wheat and petroleum derivatives, are "available." Shibli said the government had decided to raise fuel prices gradually and absorb the global increase over several months, ruling out any imbalance in public finances.
Reiterating Jordan's continued "resilient" economic situation, he noted the fourth-quarter 2025 results showed "exceptional" growth of 3 percent, a level not achieved for a long time.
He said this growth was due to a set of measures taken by the government to ease the burden on citizens, whether through fiscal policy or other government entities.
Additionally, he said key economic indicators recorded noticeable improvement, after foreign investment rose 25 percent to about $2.024 billion, while inflation remained below 2 percent.
He added that implementation of the Budget Law is proceeding in line with the assumptions approved by the House of Representatives, stressing "full" commitment to this process.
He expressed appreciation to taxpayers who paid their taxes, in accordance with the law in March, saying this reflects "their pride in and belonging to Jordan." On another related front, he said fuel prices would increase gradually in line with global prices, noting that gasoline prices were supposed to go up by about 24 piasters, but the government raised them by only 9 piasters to ease the burden on citizens.
He said the prime minister held a meeting with the relevant ministers to discuss the impact of the war on public finances and energy.
In this context, he stated a set of measures was adopted to contain spending, including reducing travel and suspending the use of government vehicles. He said these measures would reduce travel expenses and the cost of operating government cars.
Shibli said the government's objective is to stimulate economic growth and provide a comfortable investment environment, noting that government meetings are continuing at the minimum necessary level to control spending.
He added that prices have begun returning to normal, noting that Jordan represents a model of political moderation and that this model has been reflected in balanced economic management.
During March, he said the gas supply disruption cost the Treasury about JD80 million, adding that the resumption of pumping restored conditions to normal levels. He added that it is positive that electricity prices have not been raised on citizens so far, ruling out current factors that require a hike.
He said the government has started the fifth review with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
The IMF program comes at Jordan's initiative and aims to maintain the fiscal path, while underscoring that the government is seeking to protect financial stability in the coming period, he pointed out.
//Petra// AO
