Parliament calls for expediting sending the budget with the imminent resumption of its sessions

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[size=52]Parliament calls for expediting sending the budget with the imminent resumption of its sessions[/size]

[size=45]Baghdad / Firas Adnan[/size]
[size=45]Parliament hopes that the government will expedite sending the budget bill in conjunction with resuming its work again after the end of its recess, at a time when political parties are talking about the possibility of passing the law in haste, taking advantage of the state of political consensus between the united blocs within the state administration coalition. The head of the Legal Committee, Representative Muhammad Anouz, said, "The delay in approving the budget law has become a recurring Iraqi habit for years."[/size]
[size=45]Anouz continued, “The successive governments did not exceed the delay in submitting the budget at the specified time stipulated in the amended Financial Management Law No. (6) of 2019, in mid-October of each year.”[/size]
[size=45]He pointed out, “The budget is an annual law, and I do not know the reason for delaying the law at the specified time, and not linking it to the final account.”[/size]
[size=45]Anouz pointed out that “the last final account submitted by the government is for the year 2015,” noting that “what is happening at the present time has reasons related to political differences and lack of respect for laws.” He noted, "The crisis with the Kurdistan region regarding its share in the budget is also recurring from year to year," expressing his surprise at "the failure to reach a solution regarding this crisis 16 years ago."[/size]
[size=45]Anouz concluded, "The main reason for not reaching a final agreement on the share of the Kurdistan region is due to the reluctance of the political blocs to pass the oil and gas law, which defines the legal framework for the sharing of natural resources." For his part, a member of the Finance Committee, Mueen Al-Kadhimi, stated, "Expectations indicate that the government is close to voting on the budget law, and this may happen within a few days." And Al-Kadhimi continued, “The Finance Committee, as soon as the law reaches Parliament, will study it and prepare it for the first and second readings, and then vote and approve it.”[/size]
[size=45]And he pointed out, “The House of Representatives, which will start its legislative term during the current week, has priorities in preparing for the provincial elections, and what this requires is a review of the Independent Electoral Commission.” Al-Kazemi stressed, "These procedures, in order to proceed with them, depend on a number of technical and logistical preparations, including those related to the financial aspect and the provision of allocations." It is not expected, however, that “it will take a long time to approve the budget law after it reaches the House of Representatives, by relying on agreements to form the government within the state administration coalition.”[/size]
[size=45]Al-Kadhimi concluded, "The coordination framework has no disagreements regarding the law, and there is a continuous dialogue with other political parties, especially with the forces of the Kurdistan region, regarding the region's share." Another member of the committee, Jamal Cougar, says, "The economic situation in Iraq is very similar to a patient who cannot take medicine, despite its abundance in the local markets." And Cougar added, "Iraq has a financial abundance, but it cannot benefit from it in the absence of a budget law." He pointed out, “The data of the Ministry of Finance and the Central Bank indicate that there is a surplus of 22 billion dollars,” and warned that “these sums will not benefit the citizen, as they will not be transformed into projects and job opportunities in the absence of the budget law.” And Cougar stated, “The government cannot proceed with action plans or strategic projects, support for the private sector, and other aspects, as they are all completely suspended.”[/size]
[size=45]He pointed out that “those who receive salaries from the state do not exceed 3 million and 270 thousand people,” noting that “these salaries, if we say that each salary is shared by 6 people who form one family, then the number of beneficiaries does not exceed 20 million people.” .[/size]
[size=45]Cougar explained, “There are 22 million others who are deprived of the financial management of the state in the absence of a budget,” noting that “when the government does not have a budget, this means that it does not have anything new.”[/size]
[size=45]And he stated, “The government that does not have anything new, this means that it is suspended and in a state of decline,” stressing that “what is in the ministries will be exposed to extinction; Because it is not possible to provide funds for maintenance and maintenance.[/size]
[size=45]Cougar talked about “there is a difference between the salaries that are granted to employees and retirees and between projects,” stressing that “the salaries are part of the operating budget, which is secured by the amended Financial Management Law No. 6 of 2019.” For his part, the representative of the Kurdistan Democratic Party, Majid Shankali, confirmed that "the draft budget law before it reaches parliament, it is subject to discussions within the cabinet, which includes in its membership representatives of the political blocs, including representatives of the Kurdistan region." Shinkali added, "The Kurdish forces have four ministers, two for the Kurdistan Democratic Party and the same for the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan."[/size]
[size=45]And he stressed, "The Kurdish presence ensures the passage of the draft budget, starting from within the government, in a way that satisfies the Kurdistan region and preserves its financial rights."[/size]
[size=45]Shankali added, "Everyone is waiting for the law to be voted on within the government and referred to Parliament, according to which we will see the extent to which the commitments made by the State Administration Coalition have been implemented. If we find that the partners fulfilled what they promised, we will vote on the law inside the dome of Parliament."[/size]
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