The Jordan budget discussions for 2026 saw an unprecedented level of frankness and clarity from the deputies, where interventions did not limit to traditional economic criticism but included a wide set of violations, administrative and financial issues, and potential corruption cases impacting investment and social justice. A number of deputies mentioned a bribery request related to an investor and called on the government to immediately open a transparent investigation to ensure such practices, threatening the business environment and negatively affecting both local and foreign investments, are not repeated. The deputies also pointed out financial and administrative transgressions in certain public bodies and institutions, including unjustified salaries and benefits, astronomical bonuses, and the grant of cars and administrative perks inconsistent with the general financial situation, which they considered a waste of public money and an absence of justice in the distribution of resources. The deputies also highlighted a lack of oversight on tenders and government projects, seeing the absence of oversight as a major reason in the escalation of corruption and misuse of resources, and commented on government tax policies that impose financial burdens on citizens instead of adopting real economic reforms, which they considered an administrative and financial flaw affecting financial justice and increasing the burden on citizens.
The deputies considered the budget repetitive and not fundamentally different from the previous year's budget, lacking a clear reformative vision, while capital spending is weak and not linked to tangible developmental outcomes, whereas current spending increases, reflecting an administrative imbalance and absence of social justice. They criticized the lack of job creation and investment encouragement, stating the absence of a national employment plan and the lack of linkage between tax exemptions and actual employment leading to recurring weak economic outcomes, increasing the unemployment gap among the youth. They pointed out the marginalization of provinces as a result of centralization in distributing developmental projects and failed to address the issue of rising prices and the cost of living threatening citizens' purchasing power, asserting the budget did not provide practical solutions to this economic disaster.
On the regulatory and political front, the deputies stated that the budget does not reflect clear strategies to combat corruption or transparent policies for managing public finances, and called for financial management reform, linking spending to tangible outcomes, enhancing oversight on government projects, reducing financial waste, and ensuring justice in salaries, bonuses, and administrative privileges. They considered the budget discussions a comprehensive regulatory announcement to the public, highlighting potential corruption related to financial and commercial practices, clear administrative and financial transgressions within certain institutions and bodies, weak capital spending failing to create jobs or stimulate growth, continuing high cost of living and deteriorating purchasing power, and the obscurity in distributing resources and allocations along with provincial marginalization, in addition to weak oversight and accountability in budget implementation.
Despite all this, the deputies passed the budget as if nothing had happened, reflecting the usual political schizophrenia that has become a subject of public ridicule, as they enjoy the debate and noise under the dome while voting in a manner that pleases traditional politics. All this occurred in front of the government today, which must take responsibility, investigate raised issues, issue an official clarification, and take necessary actions to ensure transparency and accountability of violators, restoring citizens' trust in financial and administrative institutions.
The budget speech for 2026 was not merely a financial debate but a message to the public stressing the urgent need for the government to follow up on financial, administrative, and corruption issues, ensuring a fair and transparent management of public money, achieving social justice, protecting the national economy and the average citizen from ongoing transgressions.
