Mobile operators in Jordan have condemned a proposed tax which would be used to raise money to for loans to be dispersed to the local farming industry. Three out of the Kingdom's four mobile operators told the Jordan Times that the law, if implemented, would increase the financial burden on end-users and negatively impact the telecom sector, which already contributes to the treasury.
Zain General Manager Ahmad Al Shatti said the new tax would also cause chaos in the local telecommunications market.
At the moment, around ten percent of the operators revenues go to government - along with some twenty-five percent of their profits and income taxes.
A Jordan Telecom Group (JTG) source told the newspaper that the draft law is unjust as it forces a highly efficient sector to support a highly inefficient one.
"This decision is illogical and it is almost impossible to implement it practically and technically speaking. It will cause confusion in the market," the JTG source told The Jordan Times yesterday.
The Mobile World subscriber tracker notes that the country ended the first half of the year with just over 5 million mobile phone users - representing a population penetration level of 81.6%.
On the web: Jordan Times - Mobile World
Posted to the site on 8th January 2009
Posted to: www.cellular-news.com/story/35421.php