BUDGET in Parliament this week(Fingers crossed)20 May 2023 18:39
ERBIL — The federal parliament in Baghdad is reportedly going to hold a vote on the country's largest federal budget bill in decades this week.
"The parliament will vote on the federal budget bill on Monday. The parliamentary committee on finance is in a meeting now, voting on the final provisions of the bill, on articles pertaining to the Kurdistan Region in particular," Amanj Harki, an Iraqi lawmaker from the Kurdistan Democratic Party's (KDP) bloc, told BasNews today.
The bill might be sent to the parliament tomorrow so that a vote can be held on Monday," he added.
Baghdad and Erbil are awaiting approval of the budget bill in order to enact their cabinets' investment and development agenda. Payment of public sector salaries depends on approval of the federal budget, in Erbil in particular because KRG crude exports have not resumed yet.
The federal government of Iraq approved the bill in March this year. The budget covers public expenses for the years 2023-2025. The bill totals nearly 200 trillion dinars, with 12.67 percent of the overall budget being allocated to the Kurdistan Region. Erbil is supposed to share revenues from crude sales with Baghdad in return for its share of the federal budget.