High gasoline prices ignite the Iraqi street...the political mood controls government decisions

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[size=52]High gasoline prices ignite the Iraqi street...the political mood controls government decisions[/size]

[size=45]Blessed be Abdul Majeed[/size]
[size=45]The Iraqi street was abuzz after the Council of Ministers’ decision to raise the price of gasoline and remove street vendors’ “baskets,” as everyone began to wonder about the motives of these sudden steps, especially in light of the government’s claims to improve the economic reality.[/size]
[size=45]Gasoline and oil[/size]
[size=45]The decision to raise the price of improved gasoline to 850 dinars per liter, and super gasoline to 1,250 dinars per liter, comes despite the recent entry into service of a number of oil refinery factories, and the resumption of the work of other factories. News presenter Elham Al-Jadi asks, via Al-Mada, “Why are decisions issued to change commodity prices every time without warning? Are these decisions due to increasing employees’ salaries and improving their purchasing power?!” Al-Jadi says, “Today, instead of... If gasoline and other oil derivatives are provided free of charge to the Iraqi citizen, prices will be raised further.”[/size]
[size=45]"revenge"[/size]
[size=45]Economic affairs researcher Ahmed Eid said in an interview with Al Mada: “The government is trying to take revenge on the people through multiple means and methods. Starting with not amending the salary scale, not legislating laws criminalizing the spread of uncontrolled weapons outside the framework of the state, and limiting the smuggling of petroleum derivatives to neighboring countries and re-importing them as imported derivatives, passing through the recent agreement with Iran to sign gas import contracts for the next five years, and ending with imposing taxes and raising... The price of automobile fuel,” (according to him).[/size]
[size=45]He adds, “The step to raise automobile fuel prices appears unjustified in terms of economic feasibility, especially with the continued disruption of economic sectors and high inflation rates in Iraq, in addition to low salaries that are not commensurate with high inflation rates, in addition to high unemployment and poverty rates.”[/size]
[size=45]Treatments[/size]
[size=45]Eid continues, “The Sudanese government must address the problem of importing petroleum derivatives, and support local production with regard to refining and filtering petroleum derivatives by raising the production capacity of the Iraqi refineries represented by the Karbala refinery and the North Refinery (Baiji), most of whose production lines were stolen.” He calls on the federal government to “Investing Iraqi gas instead of importing it from Iran for the next five years,” noting that “the country is incurring major financial losses related to the exit of hard currency for the benefit of the Iranian economy,” indicating that “the cost of importing gas for one year is sufficient to establish Iraqi gas investment projects without the need to import from abroad.” Eid concludes his speech by saying, “The increase in fuel will lead to an increase in the prices of other sectors, and will be reflected in the service sectors, which will negatively affect the public life of the citizen, and this is what the Iraqis cannot bear at the present time.”[/size]
[size=45]“Moods” and costs[/size]
[size=45]In the same context, political analyst Muhammad Zangana said, in an interview with Al Mada, that “raising fuel prices is not in the interest of the current stage, given the presence of a large number of citizens who depend on transportation as a source of income, such as taxi owners and transportation companies, and that The rise in the price of improved gasoline will lead to a very major crisis, including an increase in transportation costs.”[/size]
[size=45]Zangana adds, “Taxes in Iraq depend on political moods and what each government decides, and this means that the matter is far from legal regulation.” Last week, the Council of Ministers decided to study increasing customs duties for importing cars, on the condition that the Iraqi Kurdistan region adheres to this increase.[/size]
[size=45]Self-sufficiency[/size]
[size=45]For his part, the spokesman for the Ministry of Oil, Asem Jihad, said in an interview with (Al Mada), that “the refineries sector receives special attention from the current government and the ministry,” noting that “there are plans prepared to improve the quality and conform it to international standards in addition to increasing production.” He adds Jihad said, “The Ministry is striving to bring Iraq to the stage of self-sufficiency and stop imports.” He continues, “The Ministry has prepared plans to reconstruct the damaged refineries and resume work in them, and new units related to improving oil and gasoline have also been added.” He continues, “The Ministry recently brought the Karbala refinery into service, with a capacity of 140,000 barrels per day,” adding that “the refinery supplies large quantities of petroleum derivatives, especially high-octane gasoline.” It is noteworthy that last week, the Council of Ministers decided to raise the prices of automobile fuel by about 30% for improved gasoline, and by 25% for super quality, as part of a plan taken by the government “to reduce traffic congestion.”[/size]
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