Pension dispute delays approval... Ambiguous changes in 2024 budget schedules

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[size=52]Pension dispute delays approval... Ambiguous changes in 2024 budget schedules[/size]

[size=45]Mustafa Mounir[/size]
[size=45]Yesterday, Saturday, the Kurdistan Democratic Party, led by Masoud Barzani, called on the federal government to expedite sending the 2024 budget schedules to Parliament in order to resolve disputes related to the fiscal year.[/size]
[size=45]The party’s representative, Mahma Khalil, said in an interview with (Al-Mada), “The tripartite budget for the years 2023, 2024, and 2025, in which the first year is obligatory to implement according to its provisions, while the second and third are subject to change in some of its schedules.”[/size]
[size=45]He added, "The federal government, including the Ministry of Finance and the relevant authorities, is supposed to submit the 2024 budget schedules to the House of Representatives, especially those that have undergone changes in pensions and job grades."[/size]
[size=45]Disagreements and changes[/size]
[size=45]The representative of the Kurdistan Democratic Party pointed out that “political differences exist in the operational budgets to ensure fair distribution and calculate the degree of damage that some areas were exposed to as a result of terrorist operations in 2014,” calling on the federal government to “send the changed schedules and frameworks that changed to the 2024 budget from In terms of form and content in order to review and decide on it.”[/size]
[size=45]Expenses and delays[/size]
[size=45]For his part, the head of the Parliamentary Finance Committee, Atwan Al-Atwani, revealed the reasons for the delay in approving the 2024 budget schedules, and said, “Parliament is awaiting the receipt of the budget schedules from the government after the government adjusts its position regarding the amount of spending it needs during the current year.”[/size]
[size=45]Al-Atwani stated that the reasons for the delay in the schedules are due to the need for some spending sections to be reviewed and approved for the current year’s spending plan for governorates and institutions, noting that public expenditures are expected to rise during this year compared to the 2023 budget as a result of the introduction of new projects.[/size]
[size=45]He considered that “if the government is able to adjust its expenditures according to amendments to the schedules only, the matter will be decided in Parliament within a short time, but if the government decides to make amendments to the original budget, this will enter into the process of legislation,” considering that “the deficit may rise with the rise in expenditures, but it remains It depends on the size of revenues. The higher the revenues, the lower the deficit.”[/size]
[size=45]Representative “ignorance.”[/size]
[size=45]The Finance Committee in the House of Representatives still does not know when the 2024 budget law will be approved.[/size]
[size=45]Committee member Jamal Cougar said, in an interview followed by Al-Mada: “Until now, we do not know when the government will send the schedules of the 2024 budget law and what these schedules will include in terms of financial allocations for projects and other expenditures, and we do not know what the deficit is within this budget.”[/size]
[size=45]Koger added, “The government is required to expedite sending the details of the 2024 budget to the House of Representatives for the purpose of reviewing and studying it. There is also the possibility of making amendments to it, as this is within the powers granted to Parliament.”[/size]
[size=45]Proposed amendment[/size]
[size=45]Earlier, the American Bloomberg Agency said that the Iraqi government is still studying a proposed amendment to the federal budget that would enable Baghdad to pay the salaries of international oil companies operating in the Kurdistan region.[/size]
[size=45]According to news from the agency, translated by (Al-Mada), producers in the Kurdistan region will be allowed to resume production, and one of the main obstacles to restarting flows is the cost of producing Kurdish oil, as Prime Minister Muhammad Shia al-Sudani set this cost last December, which is 21 $1 per barrel, compared to only $8 in other areas of Iraq.[/size]
[size=45]Hesitation and “injustice”[/size]
[size=45]For his part, a member of the House of Representatives, Sajjad Salem, said that there is injustice in many contracts and daily procedures due to the Ministry of Finance’s reluctance to implement the provisions of the general budget, adding that we are waiting for the amendment of the budget law for this year.[/size]
[size=45]Salem stated, “There was a defect in the employment system in the previous period, as the state system relied on the person being employed and within a full year his competence was proven and after that he was appointed to the permanent staff in the Iraqi state,” noting, “In previous years, A lot of daily procedures or so-called contracts and free lecturers, as well as 315 contracts, so that this problem continues to accumulate throughout these years, and this is what made its solutions in the budget partial, whether in the 2023 budget or in the food security law.”[/size]
[size=45]He added in a previous interview with (Al-Mada), that “because of all these mistakes, there was inequality and injustice for some daily workers and contracts, and there were also those who were wronged because of the time period set for these people to be included in tenure.” Noting that, “there are mistakes made by ministries regarding the confirmation of contracts, which led to injustice among some of them.”[/size]
[size=45]He continued, “Parliament is waiting for the schedules for amending the budget law from the Iraqi government, as the Ministry of Finance is lagging behind on many of the provisions of the budget law for the year 2023, and we do not know what the government’s intention is regarding amending the budget law for the current year.”[/size]
[size=45]Schedules and projects[/size]
[size=45]On March 18, Prime Minister Muhammad Shiaa Al-Sudani chaired a meeting devoted to discussing the federal general budget schedules for the year 2024, and presenting priorities in the sections of spending and support for service, economic and social projects, and strategic projects, within the course of the three-year budget (2025, 2024, 2023).[/size]
[size=45]The Prime Minister said, “The success witnessed in implementing the 2023 budget must be invested in completing the remaining economic projects, especially those related to aspects of economic reform, investment, and infrastructure construction in the areas of transportation, health, and municipal services, and supporting productive agricultural and industrial programs.”[/size]
[size=45]Al-Sudani pointed out, according to a statement from his media office, “the need to focus attention on projects that are nearing completion, and projects that drive the economic cycle and support infrastructure, in addition to projects that provide the largest number of job opportunities, and meet service, health, and social needs that take precedence over other public necessities.”[/size]
[size=45]It is noteworthy that Finance Minister Taif Sami announced on March 13 that the data related to the 2024 budget schedules had been completed and sent to the Council of Ministers, amid parliamentary demands to send them to the Finance Committee as soon as possible.[/size]
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