The Greater Amman Municipality’s (GAM) financial situation will remain stable this year in the wake of the global crisis, according to the city’s mayor, Omar Maani.
In an interview with Arab daily The Jordan Times last week the mayor said he expected GAM’s budget deficit of JD30m ($42.4m) to stay flat for the rest of the year.
GAM’s budget is JD437m ($617.2m) for 2009.
But, a few private sector investors could review projects within the capital because of the downturn, he warned.
However, the number of construction licences granted in the first half of 2009 was equal to those issued in the first six months of last year, Maani said.
The mayor said GAM was also owed JD110m ($155m) in outstanding real estate taxes and in some cases was intercepting defaulters at the airport and preventing them from travelling abroad, the newspaper reported.
At the start of the year, the municipality waived over JD15m in unpaid property taxes.
The municipality will issue a tender for the building and operating of Amman’s first ‘Metro’ in November as well as an invitation for the private sector to invest in buses.
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