Parliament receives a three-year budget: we need a month to vote on it

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[size=52]Parliament receives a three-year budget: we need a month to vote on it[/size]


[size=45]Baghdad / Hussein Hatem[/size]
[size=45]The features of the 2023 budget have become clear as it approaches the final stages of voting, as it is likely to vote on the draft budget law within 30-45 days when it reaches the House of Representatives.[/size]
[size=45]Yesterday, Monday, the Council of Ministers approved the draft federal budget law for the fiscal years 2023, 2024 and 2025, in its regular session held under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Muhammad Shia Al-Sudani, and decided to refer it to the House of Representatives.[/size]
[size=45]Al-Sudani said in a press conference attended by the (Al-Mada) correspondent, that "the priorities of the government program will be present in the 2023 budget," pointing out that "the budget for three years supports financial stability."[/size]
[size=45]He added, "Ministries enter at the beginning and end of a year with a stage of hibernation until the new budget is approved," noting: "We are facing stability in the budget for a period of three years."[/size]
[size=45]He pointed out that "entitlements have been secured for all contracts, lecturers and higher certificates in the budget," adding, "We have put in the budget practical measures, including increasing the area of ​​coverage in the protection network."[/size]
[size=45]And he stressed that "with the approval of the budget, the social subsidy will be disbursed," noting that "for the first time, a fund has been established for the poorest governorates."[/size]
[size=45]He continued, "This fund will address the state of poverty in these provinces," noting that "in this budget, we have maintained support for the liberated provinces, and we have allocated an amount of 500 billion dinars to secure service projects and support for displaced families."[/size]
[size=45]He pointed out that “a fund was established to support the Sinjar district and the Nineveh Plain, and we allocated an amount of 50 billion dinars,” explaining that “one of the reasons for delaying the approval of the budget was also the understanding with the Kurdistan region.”[/size]
[size=45]And on the Kurdistan region, Al-Sudani confirmed, “We reached a comprehensive agreement on the outstanding issues between Baghdad and Erbil,” noting that “for the first time, the total revenues of oil produced in the region are deposited in a bank account in which it is deposited and is subject to federal administration.”[/size]
[size=45]And that "the understandings between Baghdad and Erbil were clear points," stressing that "if there are any differences between Baghdad and Erbil, there is a committee that submits its recommendations to the federal prime minister."[/size]
[size=45]He pointed out that «these understandings between Baghdad and Erbil confirm the progress of the two parties towards approving the law of oil and gas».[/size]
[size=45]Al-Sudani pointed out that "the total budget amounts to more than 197 trillion dinars," stressing that "the operational budget amounts to more than 150 trillion dinars."[/size]
[size=45]He continued, "The investment budget is more than 47 trillion," noting that "the budget deficit amounts to 63 trillion dinars."[/size]
[size=45]Al-Sudani stressed, “The government is keen that the budget be a mirror reflective of the government program that the House of Representatives voted on.” ».[/size]
[size=45]He added, "The Ministries of Finance and Planning can make amendments, with the approval of the House of Representatives, in the event that there are changes in numbers, oil prices, or quantities."[/size]
[size=45]And he indicated, “These steps have been taken by the government based on its confidence in the vision and approach that it carries, and it has defined its goals in advance and set this budget in its details, and we will finish the process that is stalling all development and construction facilities, as ministries are usually paralyzed before the end of the fiscal year, which disrupts work and then Another chapter begins until the new budget is approved.[/size]
[size=45]With regard to Parliament's position on the 2023 budget, Moein Al-Kazemi, a member of the Parliamentary Finance Committee, told (Al-Mada) that "if the budget arrives next week and is devoid of notes, it will be passed within a month or 45 per day."[/size]
[size=45]Al-Kazemi added, "The budget numbers are large, and discussing them will take time, as they will be discussed for three years, as announced by the Council of Ministers."[/size]
[size=45]And he stressed, "the need for" the investment budget to be more than operational, "noting that" the share of the Kurdistan region is still ambiguous.[/size]
[size=45]Al-Kazemi indicated that "the share of the Kurdistan region should not be at the expense of other provinces," stressing "the importance of speeding up the approval of the draft budget law for the year 2023."[/size]
[size=45]In turn, Representative Thaer Makhaif told (Al-Mada) that “Parliament needs a period of four weeks, at least, to approve the budget as soon as it arrives from the Council of Ministers.”[/size]
[size=45]He added that «the political consensus between the blocs will decide the approval of the draft budget law quickly».[/size]
[size=45]He pointed out, "The reasons that impeded the arrival of the budget to the House of Representatives are the change in the exchange rate of the dollar and its instability so far in the local markets, and the lack of agreement on the region's share of the budget and the high ceilings in their demands from the federal government."[/size]
[size=45]For his part, a member of the Parliamentary Investment and Development Committee, Hussein Al-Sabri, says, “Voting the financial budget for a period of three years by the Council of Ministers will cause a qualitative leap in budgets compared to all the years that were approved in the past.”[/size]
[size=45]Al-Sabri added, "The government is able to add an appendix to the budget at the end of each fiscal year," noting that "the cabinet's decision to vote on the budget for a period of three years is a kind of financial stability for the government."[/size]
[size=45]He explained, "This decision will facilitate holding early elections in the event that funds are allocated for them in this budget," noting that "the decision will work to avoid delaying the next budget in order to finance the elections or the amount of expenses that will be spent on them."[/size]
[size=45]It is noteworthy that the House of Representatives passed, in June 2022, the draft law on emergency support for food security and development, in a move that allowed the government to spend on some projects and run state affairs temporarily; As a result of the absence of the financial budget law for the year 2022, as well as due to the political crisis that afflicted the country for more than a year.[/size]
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