Khaberni - With the Jordanian government announcing the implementation of a new decision regarding customs duties and sales tax on postal parcels starting from February 2026, a major question arises: To what extent will this measure affect the citizens?
A wide range of Jordanians, including Sarah Zidan who has been buying her needs from international websites for years, have escalated fears.
Sarah tells Reuters, as an employee and mother of three children, that her children’s clothes, shoes, and even kitchen tools used to arrive within days through parcels not exceeding 200 dinars "with high quality and a price lower than the local market, and the process is easier than long rounds at the malls (shopping centers)."
But starting from February 2026, these parcels will be exempt from customs duties that do not exceed five dinars (seven dollars), while a sales tax of 16% will be imposed, a rate Sarah sees as "greatly increasing the cost, and nullifying the reason to buy from abroad in the first place."
Official statistics showed that the number of postal parcels during the year 2024 reached 39 million parcels, the number of parcels arriving in the kingdom via online platforms was 1.7 million in 2023, and increased to two million in 2024, while the number of outgoing parcels in 2023 was about 100 thousand.
Many online shoppers feel that the decision is aimed at supporting local merchants at the expense of the consumer, and the decision is not clear enough and does not explain what is included and what is not.
Sarah says, "We do not buy out of luxury... we look for better quality and a suitable price, yet we are penalized."
For Sarah, this change means rethinking every order she used to make easily.
The decision's impact on small businesses
In one of the eastern districts of Amman, Reem Jadallah sits reviewing dozens of messages from her usual clients.
Reem is not a traditional shop owner, she has been working from home as a mediator for "Shein" orders for four years, a job that has turned into a main source of livelihood for her and her family after her husband’s death.
Reem explains that many of her clients do not have an electronic payment card, or they prefer to buy orders through a mediator who understands the sizes, follows up on shipments, and ensures the arrival of the parcels.
She says, "I used to take a modest commission...and we all benefited."
But today, with the announcement of implementing the decision of February 2026, Reem sees the future of her business moving away step by step.
In recent days, client questions have been pouring in about the expected rise in prices, and some have temporarily stopped buying, while others decided to return to shopping from local markets.
Reem fears that the decision threatens her only source of income "The demand is decreasing... if the price of orders rises, many girls won’t place orders."
The government: The decision to protect the national product
Yarub Qudah, Jordan's Minister of Industry, Trade, and Supply, confirmed that the cabinet's decision to amend customs duties aims to protect the national product and enhance the competitiveness of local industries.
Qudah told Reuters, "The amendments are limited and do not include foodstuffs or basic goods, and do not have a major impact on the citizen or the treasury."
He indicated that the decision was based on methodical economic studies, adding that its financial impact is very limited, but it is a necessary step to enhance Jordan's ability to increase exports and reduce the trade deficit.
Qudah clarified that the government approved a recommendation from the customs tariff council to make limited adjustments to the duties, by increasing the duties on goods that have a local alternative, in order to support Jordanian industries and enhance their competitiveness in the market.
Mixed reactions
Maher Hajjat, the spokesman for the National Association for Consumer Protection, said, "The citizen is always the weakest link, bearing the fees, taxes, and merchants' profits whether he buys through intermediaries or directly from the markets."
He considered that the decision "came in response to pressures from merchants to curb this type of purchase that the whole world is dealing with" but within certain conditions and organized legislations.
He added, "The citizen is the one harmed by this decision because the intermediaries will pass this tax onto him and therefore he will bear an additional cost on the price he was paying to the intermediaries."
However, Sultan Allan, a representative of the clothing sector at the Jordan Chamber of Commerce, confirmed his support for the government decision regarding the amendment of customs duties on postal parcels, noting that it achieves part of the required justice.
Allan told Reuters, "Global practices are based on protecting the local merchant and achieving equality, and this is what we hope to achieve."
He indicated that the implementation of the decision will begin at the start of February 2026, with a new mechanism that enables official entities to distinguish between unlicensed traders and genuine consumers.
Allan explained, "Most countries in the world adopt an equitable system. We pay 32% in fees and taxes, so how can foreign websites be distinguished at a rate of 16 percent?"
Meanwhile, Qasim Al-Hammouri, a professor of economics at Yarmouk University, said that the government's decision could lead to restricting the flow of e-commerce in Jordan.
He added, "E-commerce is already suffering from difficulties like some sellers’ tricks or goods not matching the reality showed on social media. And the government has increased these difficulties by imposing the tax."
Al-Hammouri said that pressures exerted by business chambers and businessmen show that the decision comes "in the interest of the traders at the expense of the citizen", and called for small amounts to be exempt from taxes and customs, to ensure that the consumer can obtain his simple needs at a reasonable cost, and to stimulate fair e-commerce activity.
Reem says, "I'm not a big trader... I'm a mother working from her home... the decision will harm people like us before it harms the companies."
