Jordanian House continues deliberations over budget bill

More lawmakers recorded their observations on the draft 2015 state budget on Tuesday as the Lower House debated the bill and the budgets of independent public institutions for the third day in a row.
MPs tackled a wide range of domestic woes, including poverty and unemployment, taxes and soaring prices, as well as turmoil in the region during today's session, chaired by House Speaker Atef Tarawneh and attended by Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour and members of his cabinet.
The first to take the floor was MP Kholoud Khtatbeh, who urged the government to take into consideration the various social dimensions to draw up its plans and policies, putting the citizens at its core, adding, "the citizen's stability is the stability of the state." She said "the long lines" of unemployed youth cannot see a glamour of hope for the future as some depend on their families, while others seek jobs abroad and a few "indulge in crime".
"The government should stop ignoring this key segment of youth, or else the consequences will be catastrophic," she added.
Lawmaker Samir Orabi said the current conditions required further measures at all levels to overcome economic "imbalances" with further austerity to carry out fiscal and economic reform programmes.
He said the House financial committee's recommendations about the budget law were compatible with public interest and the government's plan to alleviate the citizens' burden, noting its proposal to revise oil price estimates from $100 to $60.
MP Abdul Karim Darayseh said he "saw the budget as a squandering of public funds," explaining that he had demanded the merger of some ministries and entities that had similar functions and tasks to cut their budgets.
Other legislators pressed the government to upgrade services and launch projects in their underprivileged regions to generate jobs and alleviate unemployment and poverty.