KRG accepts the Public Financial Reorganization bill

Kurdistan 10:45 PM - 2023-05-14

The Council of Ministers' meeting.

The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) team in the government attended the Sunday, May 14, 2023, meeting of the Kurdistan Regional Government's (KRG) Council of Ministers, which unanimously resolved to restructure the Region's public finances.

The KRG announced that the public financial reorganization will involve centralizing income, flows, expenditures, and salaries, with salaries across the Kurdistan Region receiving priority in spending. There needs to be a process in place to ensure that salaries and other expenses are distributed fairly and in accordance with the population of each province and independent administration.

According to the KRG statement, the Kurdistan Region's prime minister welcomed the PUK ministerial team back to the Council of Ministers meetings at the start of the meeting. The statement further said: "On behalf of the Council of Ministers, the Prime Minister also reiterated the support of the KRG for the initiative and message of President Masoud Barzani for national reconciliation and stressed the solidarity and unity of the Kurdish parties in order to defend national interests."

The first item of the meeting was dedicated to presenting the latest developments regarding the resumption of KRG's oil exports within the framework of the agreement between the KRG and the Iraqi government which was reached on April 4, 2023.

The federal government should send the necessary budget for the salaries of the KRG until the Iraqi federal budget bill is approved and the rights and financial entitlements of the Kurdistan Region are provided within the federal budget, the prime minister said, adding that the KRG has fulfilled all its obligations under the agreement and is now waiting for the federal government and the Turkish government to reach a final agreement to resume the KRG's oil exports.

The bill (Public Financial Reorganization in the Kurdistan Region) was debated in the second item. Following the debate, the Council of Ministers resolved to integrate all revenue sources through an electronic system and rearrange all revenue sources in banks, treasuries, border gates, and tax departments in order to secure public revenue.

It was decided that salaries throughout the Region should take precedence. Spending on things other than salaries should be done fairly depending on the populations of each province and independent administrations. The Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister were given instructions to set up the appropriate support systems for the ministries and parties designated to carry out these decisions in order to ensure their implementation.

On a different subject, the Council of Ministers decided to conduct a joint investigation into security issues through a special committee of the appropriate authorities, free from political interference. then pursue the appropriate legal action.

The third and final item on the agenda was the presentation of a report by the Ministry of Interior in response to the national assessment of the risks of (money laundering and financing terrorism in Iraq) conducted by the federal government. Rebar Ahmad, the Minister of Interior, made the presentation.

While praising the Ministry of Interior and the relevant parties for their efforts, measures, and steps to combat the risks of money laundering and financing terrorism, the Council of Ministers instructed the relevant ministries and institutions to continue coordinating and cooperating with their counterparts in the federal government and international organizations until a new legal framework for this issue is drafted in the region. The Region's commitment to taking action against the threats of money laundering and supporting terrorism was again emphasized by the Council of Ministers.

Meanwhile, the KRG's Presidency expressed pleasure at the Council of Ministers' meeting, saying:

"We are pleased with today's meeting of the Kurdistan Regional Government's (KRG) Council of Ministers with the participation of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan's (PUK) ministerial team in the government. We hope this will be a start and a step to resolve other issues KRG.

Today, the Kurdistan Region needs consensus, unity and solidarity more than ever. The KRG Presidency will continue its efforts to resolve all issues through dialogue and understanding and will support any step that will strengthen the position of the Kurdistan Region."

Samir Hawrami: Public Finance Reorganization bill is the project of all parties in the government

The initiative to reorganize the public finances in the Kurdistan Region has been approved by all the government members, including the Prime Minister, the Deputy Prime Minister, and all members of the Council of Ministers, according to a spokesperson for Deputy Prime Minister Qubad Talabani.
 
Samir Hawrami, Deputy Prime Minister Qubad Talabani's spokesperson, said: "The bill (Public Financial Reorganization in the Kurdistan Region), which was approved today in the meeting of the Council of Ministers, was the project of all parties in the government and was unanimously approved by the Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Minister, and all members of the council."
 
Hawrami denied claims that some parties were opposed to the bill, stating that "detailed discussions on how to draft the project have taken place, but aside from that, all parties in the government have agreed with the bill's goals and content and have not rejected it in any way."
 
"No one was against it, and everyone was in favor of the principle that revenues and expenditures should be centralized and salaries should be a sovereign issue," he said.

 

 

 

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