KTFA:

Clare:  The State Council announces the completion of the audit of the 2023 budget instructions

The State Council announced today, Tuesday, the completion of the audit of the tripartite budget.

A brief statement by the State Council, received by Shafaq News agency, stated; The process of checking the instructions for implementing the Budget Law for the years 2023-2024-2025 No. (13) for the year 2023 took place in the presence of the Minister of Finance, the Ministry of Planning, and the relevant authorities, for the purpose of facilitating the procedures for implementing the aforementioned law.

 On Monday (June 12), the Iraqi parliament voted on the federal budget law for the years 2023, 2024, and 2025, after discussions that lasted for five days.

The value of the current year budget is 197 trillion and 828 billion Iraqi dinars (about 152.2 billion dollars), with a total deficit of 63 trillion dinars (48.3 billion dollars), while the items of the 2023 and 2024 budgets have not been published.   LINK

Clare:  Parliamentary Finance: Routine procedures for two ministries contributed to delaying the implementation of the budget

8/01/2023

A member of the Parliamentary Finance Committee, Yahya Al-Muhammadi revealed today, Tuesday, the existence of administrative and routine procedures from the Ministries of Finance and Planning that contributed to an "unintentional" delay in implementing the budget law, calling on the two ministries to expedite the completion of their work in this regard.

Al-Mohammadi told Shafaq News agency, "An unintentional delay in completing the instructions of the budget law by the Ministries of Finance and Planning contributed to the delay in implementing the budget law in ministries and state institutions."

Al-Muhammadi added, "We asked the Parliamentary Finance Committee from the two ministries to expedite the publication of the budget instructions," noting that "administrative and routine procedures delayed the implementation of the budget law, and there is no intention in that."

And the deputy added, "The Ministry of Finance will, in the coming days, publish the instructions of the budget law and send them to the ministries and state institutions."

And the Iraqi parliament voted, at dawn today, Monday, June 12, on the federal budget law for the years 2023, 2024, 2025, after discussions that lasted for five days.

The value of the current year budget is 197 trillion and 828 billion Iraqi dinars (about 152.2 billion dollars), with a total deficit of 63 trillion dinars (48.3 billion dollars), while the items of the 2023 and 2024 budgets have not been published.

On June 21, 2023, the President of the Republic, Abdul Latif Jamal Rashid, approved the Federal Public Finance Law.

Last July, the Federal Supreme Court (the highest judicial authority in Iraq) issued a state order regarding some articles of the country's tripartite financial budget law.

The state order included suspending the implementation of the following articles (Article 28 / Fourth: A - B), (57 / First - C), (65 / Second), (70 / Second), (71) and (75) of Law No. ( 13) for the year 2023 (the federal general budget of the Republic of Iraq for the fiscal years (2023 – 2024 – 2025) until a decision is made on the constitutional case filed before this court to challenge its constitutionality, registered in the number (153 / federal / 2023).

Prime Minister Muhammad Shia al-Sudani had requested the issuance of a state order against Parliament Speaker Muhammad al-Halbousi regarding the above articles, according to the statement issued by the Federal Court.

Sabhan Al-Mulla Jiyad, Advisor to the Prime Minister for Political Affairs, suggested last June that the government would challenge some of the budget articles.   LINK

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Clare:  The Kurdistan Democratic Party Calls On The Government To Send The Region's Share Of The Budget, Similar To The Provinces

7/31/2023

Earth News / Member of the Kurdistan Democratic Party, Sobhi Al-Mandalawi, demanded today, Monday, the federal government to send the region's share of the budget, similar to the provinces.

Al-Mandalawi said in a statement to Earth News: “The regional government delegation met with the competent authorities in Baghdad for the purpose of implementing the federal budget items after the regional government fulfilled its legal obligations.”

He added, “After holding technical meetings, it was agreed to implement the budget items after agreeing on a mechanism for the federal government to obtain half of the non-oil revenues according to the constitution.”

And Mandalawi continued, “Therefore, Baghdad is required today to send the region’s share of the budget, similar to the provinces.”  LINK

 Godson:  Imo... Kurdistan demands.. Parliament demands.. citizens demands.. Cbi?.. crickets

Clare:  The Secretary General Of The National Product Calls For The Application Of Article 304 Of The Iraqi Penal Code To Protect The Dinar

7/31/2023

Earth News / The Secretary-General of the Parliamentary National Product Bloc, Jassem Al-Amiri, called today, Sunday, for the implementation of Article 304 of the Iraqi Penal Code to protect the dinar.

Al-Amiri's media office said, in a statement received by Earth News, that "the government's measures to control fluctuations in the exchange rate of the dollar, which included authorizing more than 100 exchange companies to obtain their shares of the dollar, and after the United States denied the issuance of any sanctions against Iraqi banks, the dollar prices started It is witnessing, on a daily basis, a significant decrease.”

He added, "One of the reasons for the high price of the dollar is the statements of some that the US Treasury Department could impose sanctions on the central bank, which aroused citizens' anger and concern, which prompted them to resort to buying the dollar, which increased the demand for it."

Al-Amiri called on “the government, and specifically the Central Bank, to take measures to reassure the Iraqi people and encourage them to deal in the Iraqi dinar, and to take strict measures against manipulators of the exchange rate, and to activate Article 304 of the Iraqi Penal Code, which stipulates the punishment and imprisonment of anyone who publicly broadcasts fabricated facts or allegations that would Causing a decline in the national banknotes or weakening confidence in the state’s currency and its bonds.

He pointed out that "the main affected by the inconsistency in the price of the dollar is the people, who will face a rise in the prices of materials, especially foodstuffs." LINK