Iraqi MP: Budget Amendment Requires Political Agreement

Interviews 12:13 AM - 2024-01-03

Dr. Narmin Maarouf, MP in Iraqi Parliament

In an interview with PUKMEDIA, Dr. Narmin Maarouf, a member of the Finance Committee of the Iraqi parliament, stated that it is critical to separate the salaries of Kurdistan Region employees from political disputes and other expenditures. "To achieve this goal, the article governing the salaries of Region employees must be amended," she added.

"Unless the budget law is changed," she added, "it is likely that the Iraqi government will continue to provide loans to the Kurdistan Regional Government of 700 billion dinars per month."

The entire interview is available below:

Q: Will the Iraqi government provide additional funding to the Kurdistan Region?

Until the budget law is amended, the Iraqi government is expected to send a monthly sum of money to the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG). Despite the lack of amendments to the budget law, money is expected to be transferred from Iraq to the Kurdistan Region. The KRG has officially requested a six-month loan from the Iraqi government. Despite this, the Iraqi government has only officially accepted the decision for three months, with the remaining three months awaiting approval.

Q: When will the budget law be amended?

The budget bill is expected to be introduced in parliament soon, but it will most likely take several weeks to complete the initial, subsequent, and final readings. As a result, it is expected that the budget bill will be amended around the beginning of February.

Q: Is there a specific article that both governments could agree to amend?

Our primary concern as Kurdish MPs is to separate the issue of salaries from the KRG's responsibilities. Furthermore, we advocate for Kurdish employees to be treated equally with their Iraqi counterparts. We emphasise the importance of keeping payments separate from other expenses.

There is a proposal to incorporate the salary of all Iraqi employees, including those in the Kurdistan Region, into the governing (hakima) expenses. Nevertheless, this is a partial proposal, as both governments possess their proposals, and there is no final record that both governments have reached a consensus on addressing the issue of salaries.

Q: Is there a consensus between the KRG and the Iraqi government about the amendment of Article 11?

Article 11, along with other articles concerning the Kurdistan Region, is the focal point of the KRG and Kurdish factions' request for amendment. This is because Article 11, which was added to the budget law in 2015, linked Kurdistan employees' salaries to the KRG's obligations. The relationship between the Region's share and actual costs is essentially political and needs to be changed. Both governments should reach a mutual agreement on the necessary amendments to the articles that are crucial for the benefit of the Region's salaried employees and have the approval of the Iraqi government. However, a few clauses in the budget law benefit the salaried employees of the Region and do not require amendment from either the government or cause for dispute.

Q: Will the budget amendment make the KRG more obliged?

Law requires the KRG to perform several tasks, including delivering 400,000 barrels of oil per day and foregoing half of its non-oil revenue. The articles that need to be changed, on the other hand, can be decided by both governments, with a focus on shared interests and political considerations. In reality, we are asking that the KRG's obligations and employee pay be kept separate. In contrast, the resumption of oil exports is a critical factor that necessitates both internal and external agreements.


PUKMEDIA