“Tidbits From TNT” Tuesday Morning 3-18-2025

TNT:

Tishwash:  Direct implementation of the ASYCUDA system at Abu Fluos Customs in Basra

Director General of the Customs Authority, Thamer Qasim Daoud, announced today, Tuesday, the commencement of work on the ASYCUDA system at the Abu Flus Customs in Basra.

In a statement received by Al-Eqtisad News, Daoud said, "The electronic automation system (ASYCUDA) has been implemented at the Abu Flus Customs in Basra Governorate  link

Tishwash:  Despite the budget amendments being completed a month and a half ago, there's a "possible" reason behind the delay in the schedules.

More than a month and a half has passed since the 2025 budget amendment was passed, but the 2025 schedules have yet to reach Parliament, raising questions about the reasons behind them.

The initial obstacle to submitting the schedules was the delay in the budget amendment, but it appears the delay stems from the same reason related to Article 12 of the budget, which was amended but did not bear fruit.

Member saysFinance CommitteeParliamentarian, Mustafa Al-Karaawi, told Sumaria News that "the 2025 budget schedules were supposed to arrive before the end of the fiscal year, according to the text of Article 77, secondly, of thelawFinancial managementBut the schedules have not arrived yet, which is considered a violation of this text.

He explained that "there is information that the tables will reachHouse of Representatives"At the end of this month," he said, noting that "the delay in the schedules has disrupted many of the country's economic activities, the launch of operating budgets, and the halting of projects."

He stressed that "there are no appointments or confirmations for specific categories in the current year's budget," noting that "the allocations will be within the previous sections, but with different numbers, so the 2025 budget will be free of appointments."

The delay in sending the schedules for approval was due to the awaited amendment to the budget law, particularly Article 12 related to the Kurdistan Region's oil. After the amendment passed in early February, it was followed by significant tension and disagreements.

Despite about a month and a half having passed since the budget amendment was passed, the schedules have not yet been sent. It appears that the delay in sending the schedules is linked to the delay in resolving the issue of resuming Kurdistan's oil exports due to the ongoing disputes between Baghdad and foreign companies in Kurdistan. The Ministry of Finance and the government are unable to confirm the final expected revenue figures due to the lack of a decision on whether or not oil will be exported from Kurdistan. link'

************

Tishwash:  To the Ministerial Council for the Economy

Samir Al-Nusairi

 Finally, forecasts indicate that the Russian-Ukrainian war is nearing a halt with US intervention. We recall that when the war broke out three years ago, oil prices soared to over $110 a barrel, resulting in a surge in oil revenues for both rentier and oil-producing countries. This included Iraq, given its rentier economy.

Unfortunately, the achieved abundance was not utilized to activate the real economy. Rather, operational allocations in the general budgets increased, and the deficit exceeded 60 trillion dinars. Now, with the inevitable expectation that the war will soon end, oil prices will fall, and it is expected that its average price will reach less than 60 dollars per barrel.

And we are still without other significant sources of national income. The Iraqi economy, God forbid, will enter a new economic and financial crisis. We expect the deficit to rise, the inflation rate to rise, and the government will be forced to borrow domestically and abroad.

Borrowing from the central bank will be required, foreign exchange reserves will decline, and external and domestic debts will rise. Since these expectations could soon be realized, they require swift action.

Here, we propose that the Ministerial Council for the Economy hold extraordinary sessions to discuss the expected new crisis and prepare for confrontation in a manner that preserves the path of economic, financial and banking reform and finds solutions and remedies to protect our national economy  link

************

Tishwash:  Iraq negotiates first gas deal with Algeria

Sources reported on Tuesday that Iraq is currently engaged in advanced negotiations to conclude a liquefied natural gas deal with Algeria, in an attempt to complete the deal before next summer.

The TAQA platform quoted these sources as saying that the deal is expected to be announced within two months at most, with exports set to begin as soon as Iraq completes the import infrastructure.

The sources explained that the contract will be medium-term, and that the quantities will be approximately one million tons annually. However, negotiations have not yet finalized the quantity.

According to the platform, an Algerian liquefied natural gas deal with Iraq could support Baghdad's electricity sector during the summer of 2025, or perhaps at the beginning of winter.

Iraq is currently preparing the infrastructure at Khor al-Zubair port in Basra Governorate to import liquefied natural gas, which could take the next three to five months.

It is planned to contract for a floating platform for unloading and storage, and connect it to a 40-kilometer pipeline that will transport the gas by connecting it to the national pipeline near the Shatt al-Basra. 

In late February, the Iraqi Oil Ministry's Undersecretary for Gas Affairs, Izzat Sabir, stated that the federal government was studying the possibility of importing gas from Qatar and Algeria after the US president revoked the exemption granted to Iraq to import this material from Iran. Sabir emphasized that the ministry was determined to stop flaring associated gas by 2030.  link

*Mot: ..... This dieting Thingy - Hmmmm -- OK!! - Splain this un!! 

Mot:  guys Asked: Can We Paint the Crane? - Boss -- Sure!!!