The representative of the clothing, shoes, fabrics and jewelry sector at the Jordan Chamber of Commerce, Asaad Al-Qawasmi, said that the prices of winter goods, including clothes and shoes, will be stable at the same levels as the winter season last year, supported by the drop in shipping prices.

Al-Qawasmi added during a press conference on Sunday, that the current offers and discounts in the clothing and footwear markets failed to stimulate sales activity.

He pointed out that merchants resorted to making offers on their summer goods, due to their accumulation and the need to dispose of them and provide liquidity, noting that the summer season of 2022 was one of the harshest summer seasons in 5 years, as tourism and expatriates’ visit to the Kingdom did not move the local market, due to Jordan’s weak position on the competitive map of the region. in the apparel sector.

Al-Qawasmi called for reducing the sales tax in half from 16% to 8%, noting that customs and tax duties constitute 38% of the cost of clothing, and 37% of the cost of shoes.

He pointed out that the current period is transitional between summer and winter and extends until the beginning of next October, noting that merchants imported about 55 million dinars worth of winter goods until Sunday, out of the total imports of clothing and shoes, which amounted from the beginning of the year until the first ten Days of the current month of September, 200 million dinars, compared to 156 million dinars for the same period last year, an increase of 27%.

He pointed out that the increase in the value of imports is not a reflection of purchasing power, but rather a willingness and “hope” that the markets will recover again.

Al-Qawasmi indicated that there are great challenges facing the sector, including postal parcels coming from outside the traditional commercial system that are subject to fees and taxes, stressing his support for organized electronic sales of locally established institutions, with the aim of keeping pace with development and consumer needs, especially in light of the sector’s departure from the citizen’s priorities, which After the Corona pandemic.

He suggested to the concerned authorities, setting a purchase ceiling for each citizen of the postal parcels annually, with consideration of the quantities and the time periods between each parcel and another.

He said that there is random distribution of commercial markets, calling on the concerned authorities not to license new markets that negatively affect existing markets and force traders to move to other places.

Petra