Jordan

With Ernst & Young, OBG looks at some of Jordan’s significant economic reforms, many of which were designed to stimulate growth and increase the flow of foreign direct investment into the country. In addition to details of corporate and personal income tax, this chapter includes a viewpoint with Bishr Baker, Managing Partner at Ernst & Young, Jordan and Iraq.

The state plays a central role in the Jordanian media industry, operating three of the country’s major TV channels and owning several newspaper publishers. However, private schemes flourish as well and operate most of the radio stations in the kingdom. Television is the dominant form of media by audience, but the local television industry remains weak compared with pan-Arab and regional stations...

Making up more than 15% of its exports – up from 12.7% in 2007 – the agricultural sector in Jordan is small but strong. Produce makes up the majority of exports, with livestock farming also playing a significant role locally and abroad. In particular, Jordan has the potential to increase its exports to the European market. Although few Jordanian companies are currently certified to export to the...

With nearly universal levels of basic education and the majority of graduates enrolling in a university, Jordan was ranked fourth in the Middle East and North Africa on the Education Index of the UNDP. Furthermore, the kingdom’s top public universities are ranked among the best in the region, and have been rising in international rankings as well. Jordan is also host to several foreign...

Tourism is a crucial element of the economy, accounting for 14% of GDP in 2010. Petra remains the country’s major tourist attraction, with 459,629 visitors to the site in the first nine months of 2011. However, the tourist industry was hit hard by regional unrest in early 2011, and many joint package trips to Jordan and neighbouring countries were cancelled. Economic woes in parts of Europe have...

Although 2011 was a difficult year for the industry, the construction and real estate sector displayed encouraging signs of a rebound. This was especially the case in the residential construction segment, which saw strong demand, boosted by mechanisms such as government exemptions on property registration fees. However, fiscal constraints that were the result of the global and regional economic...