Iraqi Parliament Reviews Non-Oil Revenue Collection and Digital Governance Measures

Iraqi Parliament's Media Office.

Iraqi parliament's session.

The Iraqi Parliament concluded its fourth session of the sixth electoral term, within the first legislative year and first legislative session, on Sunday. The session was chaired by Speaker Haibat al-Halbousi and attended by 222 members of parliament. Discussions focused on non-oil revenues and were attended by the heads of the General Authority for Taxes, the General Authority for Customs, and the Border Crossings Authority.

At the outset of the session, Speaker al-Halbousi announced that the Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Water Resources would be hosted during Monday’s session, at the request of MPs, to discuss the water agreement with Türkiye.

During the same session, MPs Jihad al-Abadi and Ashwaq al-Jaf took the constitutional oath after their swearing-in was added to the parliamentary agenda.

Parliament then continued its discussion on the current status of non-oil revenues, with the participation of the head of the Border Ports Authority and the directors general of the tax and customs authorities. MPs’ interventions stressed the importance of activating and strengthening the electronic automation project for tax and customs collection, setting a clear timeframe for its completion in order to safeguard public revenues. They also called for staff rotation within revenue-collection agencies and for engaging specialised university professors to benefit from their expertise in advancing government automation.

Several MPs highlighted the need to identify effective mechanisms to curb manipulation of weights, descriptions, and classifications of goods at ports and customs points. Others emphasised the importance of involving representatives from the Ministry of Electricity in discussions on maximising revenues, citing indications of significant losses in the ministry’s collections. Calls were also made to disclose the number of unofficial border outlets operating outside the authority of the federal government, and to issue binding parliamentary resolutions preventing the executive branch from raising taxes except through existing laws. MPs further urged the maximisation of revenues from other levies related to ministries, companies, investment projects, telecommunications, and other sectors.

During the session, Speaker al-Halbousi underscored the importance of the incoming prime minister submitting the government programme to Parliament for review prior to the confidence vote, ensuring that it aligns with strategic financial reforms. He also stressed the need to amend the Investment Law to enhance state revenues.

Interventions during the session, which was partly chaired by First Deputy Speaker Adnan Faihan, called on the government to diversify income sources and increase non-oil revenues to secure a sustainable future for coming generations. MPs also highlighted the need for administrative reforms to improve public services, strengthen the agriculture and industrial sectors as key contributors to the state treasury, and revitalise the tourism sector.

In response, the head of the Border Crossings Authority stated that the implementation of digital governance has significantly reduced corruption previously affecting border crossings. He noted that the authority operates around the clock at all federal border crossings and denied the existence of any unofficial border crossings in the central and southern provinces. He also pointed to the absence of formal agreements with relevant authorities to regulate border crossings in the Kurdistan Region.

Meanwhile, the Director General of the Customs Authority said that a large proportion of federal ports of entry are currently covered by the ASYCUDA system, adding that the system is expected to be fully implemented at all ports of entry—excluding those in the Kurdistan Region—by the end of 2026.

At the conclusion of the session, the Speaker called on the invited officials to submit written responses addressing the issues raised by MPs to the relevant parliamentary committee.

The session was adjourned until Monday, 19 January 2026.



PUKMEDIA