Fears of disruption to next year's budget: an increase in poverty and delays in projects

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[size=52]Fears of disruption to next year's budget: an increase in poverty and delays in projects[/size]

[size=45]Baghdad / Mustafa Al-Jourani[/size]
[size=45]Demands are increasing in the Iraqi street to legislate the budget law for the next year, after the failure to pass it during the current year due to political differences that paralyzed all the joints of the state.[/size]
[size=45]And Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kazemi had previously confirmed, in a speech he delivered on the sidelines of a meeting of members of his government, that "the country needs the new budget in order for the state to proceed with its projects to serve the citizen."[/size]
[size=45]Usually, the budget specifies the items of state expenditures during a year, especially for salaries, subsidies, and repayment of debt burdens, as well as the target of state revenues.[/size]
[size=45]economic future[/size]
[size=45]In this regard, the economic expert, Ahmed Saddam, believes that "the Iraqi economy needs to legislate the 2023 budget law, since budgets usually provide job opportunities and service projects that are in direct contact with the lives of citizens."[/size]
[size=45]In an interview with Al-Mada, Saddam said, "Service projects in Iraq have been suspended since last year, which means that failure to legislate the next year's budget will have many negative effects on the service reality in the country."[/size]
[size=45]The economic expert points out that “the lack of budget legislation will also increase the poverty rate in Iraq, which in turn is very high,” noting that “passing the financial budget will restore confidence between the people and the legislative authority.”[/size]
[size=45]Saddam explains, "Negative expectations and statements about the failure to pass the budget lead to an increase in prices in the markets, and confuse the movement of trade in all governorates."[/size]
[size=45]There is no law that allows for budget legislation[/size]
[size=45]For his part, a member of the Legal Committee Salem Al-Anbaki said, in an interview with Al-Mada, that "the current government is a caretaker government, and it does not have any authority to legislate or send the budget bill for this year or this year."[/size]
[size=45]Al-Anbaki indicated, during his interview with Al-Mada, that "the parliament does not now have any oversight role over the caretaker government, so there is no law that allows the legislation of the country's financial budget."[/size]
[size=45]He added, "The current political situation also prevents the formation of the new government, which in turn can present the draft budget law as soon as possible."[/size]
[size=45]legal opinions[/size]
[size=45]In addition, the legal expert, Adnan Al-Sharifi, said in an interview with (Al-Mada), that “Article 80/Second of the Constitution stipulates that the Council of Ministers exercises the powers to propose bills.”[/size]
[size=45]According to the legal expert, Article 60 of the constitution said:[/size]
[size=45]First: - Draft laws are presented by the President of the Republic and the Council of Ministers.[/size]
[size=45]Second: Law proposals are submitted by ten members of the House of Representatives or one of its specialized committees.[/size]
[size=45]Al-Sharifi adds, “Here we are faced with two things. The first is that the House of Representatives submits the proposal to the government according to Article 60. Does the government submit the proposal to itself, and if it is the one who has the right to present the bill, does it propose to itself?” The answer is a reverse case, just as the House of Representatives presents the proposal to the government. So the correct legal and constitutional interpretation of Article 80 of the Constitution is that if the government has full powers, it presents draft laws, and if it lacks powers as a caretaker government, it has the right to propose laws only.”[/size]
[size=45]The legal expert went on to say, "But the government cannot propose laws on itself, but rather proposes them to Parliament because it does not have the right to submit a bill."[/size]
[size=45]And the Federal Supreme Court obliged the Al-Kazemi government, through its decisions, regarding the inability of the caretaker government to propose important bills, with the invalidation of all appointment orders of higher grades issued during the caretaker period.[/size]
[size=45]Although the financial budget for 2022 has not been passed, Fitch Ratings expected a decrease in the proportion of government debt in Iraq, to ​​record 47% this year, but it stated that the decline in debt may not be sustainable in light of the political tensions that restricted public spending.[/size]
[size=45]Earlier last week, Adviser to the Prime Minister, Mazhar Muhammad Salih, warned of what he described as a “financial blockade” due to the public finance problem, while indicating that there are fears of entering 2023 without a budget.[/size]
[size=45]Saleh said in a press statement, which was followed by (Al-Mada), that "one of the most serious concerns currently being raised is the public finance problem, which may enter a financial impasse or blockade."[/size]
[size=45]Saleh pointed out, "there is no authority to exchange at all, as the effective Financial Management Law No. 6 of 2019 amended allows it, in the absence of the budget law in the subsequent year, to spend at a ratio of 1/12 of the actual expenditures made in the previous year's budget."[/size]
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