Warnings against increasing MPs’ salaries: It may negatively affect the Iraqi economy

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[size=52]Warnings against increasing MPs’ salaries: It may negatively affect the Iraqi economy[/size]

[size=45]The uproar over the parliament's vote on a decision to increase the salaries and allowances of its members sparked angry reactions in the Iraqi street due to its legal, social and economic violation, warning of the negative repercussions of this increase on the Iraqi economy and the financial deficit resulting from the federal budget of the state.
In light of the significant difference in the levels of allowances and salaries of employees in ministries at the expense of other ministries, and the absence of justice in spending, specialists called for amending the salary scale of employees of Iraqi state institutions in line with the economic conditions witnessed by the country.
Parliament voted in the seventh session held on August 7, 2024, in favor of the decision to increase the salaries and allowances of its members to the equivalent of the salaries and allowances of the minister. The decision also included increasing the risk percentage granted to the council's employees to the equivalent of 30% of the nominal salary.
Member of the House of Representatives Ahmed Al-Shammari called on the parliament presidency to cancel the decision to increase the salaries of members of the House of Representatives for many reasons, including those related to commitment to the principles of the Iraqi constitution regarding the equality of all Iraqis in rights and duties and non-discrimination on any basis or reason.
Al-Shammari stressed, in a statement, the necessity of adhering to the decisions of the Federal Supreme Court, which are binding on all authorities, regarding the lack of authority of the House of Representatives to legislate or issue legislative decisions, with the exception of the issue of the validity of the membership of the members of the Council.
He stated that the first priority for the presidency of the Council and the Iraqi government is to work on reducing the salaries of ministers to be equal to the salaries of the members of the Council of Representatives, if we are talking about equality, stressing the importance of increasing the salaries of employees and retirees and supporting the poor and deprived classes.
In the same context, the member of the Parliamentary Finance Committee, Khalil Ghazi, considered the decision of the Council of Representatives to increase the salaries of the members of the Council and make them equal to the ministers a natural entitlement because the rank of a member of parliament is at the same level as the job rank of a minister.
Ghazi said that members of parliament do not enjoy the privileges and financial allocations that the ministers of the Iraqi government enjoy, despite the great tasks that the members perform, especially since the member of the Council of Representatives is in direct contact with citizens and street issues, while it is difficult to meet ministers.
Regarding the reactions that followed the decision of the House of Representatives and the secret procedures that were taken upon its approval and their legality, Ghazi explained that raising the salaries of the members of parliament was done legally according to the internal regulations of the parliament, and that it does not need legislative readings as it is a decision and not a law.
For his part, the economic expert, Safwan Qusay, warned of the impact of increasing salaries and financial allocations on the size of public spending within the federal state budget and the rise in inflation rates and the negative impact on price levels.
Qusay said that raising any salary of any employee in the Iraqi state, including parliament, should only be done through the government, while measuring the ability of the Ministry of Finance to finance the expenses of increasing these allocations.
Qusay added that the salaries of parliament and general managers, in addition to the salaries of the three presidencies, are not large compared to the total size of the state’s public expenditures, stressing the need to amend the salary scale in line with the economic situation, inflation levels and financial deficit gaps.
He stressed that any increase in the income of a certain group negatively affects the way of spending, calling on the government to support investment projects and work to reduce the costs of public life and limit the rise in prices.
He stressed that the financial abundance of state revenues and proceeds should not be spent on certain groups without others, and to focus on the need for justice in spending to overcome the problems resulting from these increases.
For his part, the researcher in economic affairs, Nabil Jabbar Al-Ali, said that the move to increase the salaries and allowances of members and employees of the Council of Representatives is marred by many question marks, due to the absence of a law that authorizes the Council to increase the salaries of its employees without the rest of the Iraqi state institutions.
Al-Ali added that increasing the salaries of employees and members of parliament is a dual procedure that wrongs a number of ministries whose employees still receive low salaries that barely meet the daily needs of employees and their families, as is the case with employees of the Ministries of Trade, Industry, Culture and others.
He explained that high inflation rates are one of the most important factors behind the demand to raise salaries, because the real value of cash incomes has decreased and led to a decline in the purchasing power of employees and a decline in their living standards.
Al-Ali stated that increasing the salaries of parliament employees, and not others, affects the fair distribution of income among population groups, because increasing the salaries of a specific group does not benefit large population groups.[/size]
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