Parliamentary Finance reveals hosts for the government to follow up on the implementation of the budget
07/20/2023 12:33:41 P
Baghdad / Firas Adnan
The Parliamentary Finance Committee spoke about holding meetings with government agencies to follow up on the implementation of the budget, confirming that Parliament is awaiting the arrival of instructions to implement the law, pointing out that government appeals will not affect this law as a whole.
The House of Representatives had voted earlier on the draft budget bill with amounts that are the highest in the history of the Iraqi state and amount to 200 trillion dinars, the bulk of which goes to the operational side.
A member of the Finance Committee, Representative Mustafa Al-Karawi, said, “Parliament is awaiting the arrival of instructions for implementing the budget by the Ministries of Finance and Planning.”
Al-Karawi added, “The entry into force of the budget means that we are facing a real implementation of the ministerial platform of the government of Muhammad Shia’a al-Sudani, which Parliament voted on earlier.”
He pointed out, “The law includes a large number of service projects, and if they are implemented correctly, the citizen will see a clear change in the general conditions.”
And Al-Karawi stated, “The Finance Committee has begun to hold its meetings, and upcoming priorities have been identified in order to follow up and monitor the implementation of the budget, follow up on government mechanisms in this regard, and implement the ministerial platform.”
And he stressed, “The coming days will witness hosts in the Parliamentary Finance Committee of the concerned government agencies to follow up on their plans that were developed in implementing the budget law.”
Al-Karawi went on to say, “Governmental appeals against the budget law will not hinder the implementation of its provisions, with the exception of the six paragraphs that the Federal Supreme Court ruled to suspend their implementation until the appeal case is resolved, and these paragraphs will not affect the law as a whole.”
For his part, Representative Kazem Al-Touki stated, “The previous legislative term focused on the budget law for the fiscal years 2023, 2024, and 2025.”
Al-Touki continued, “Instructions for implementing the budget will be issued soon by the Ministry of Finance in cooperation with the Ministry of Planning, and the amounts will be distributed to public spending units from ministries, institutions, bodies, and local administrations in the governorates.”
He pointed out, “Many projects will be launched, some of which are of a strategic nature, in addition to other projects dating back to past years, meaning that they are continuing.”
And Al-Touki said, “Parliament will begin, after it has finished approving the law, to impose exchange controls in implementation of its oversight powers over the actions of the executive authority.”
He explained, “No small sums have been allocated to the electricity sector in order to conclude contracts with international companies, and the housing and hospital sector.”
Al-Touki said, “The parliamentary blocs have a desire not to repeat the previous experience, as they spent a lot of money without tangible progress in terms of providing services to the Iraqis.”
And he stressed, “The important projects that will be discussed under the budget also include investing in gas fields to provide fuel for power plants and reduce dependence on the supplied gas, as well as the large port of Faw, which is the most prominent economic project in Iraq.”
Al-Touki believes that “the development of gas fields has become an important national need that affects the sovereignty of the country, and this requires that we focus on these operations and invest all that is included in the budget in this area in order to achieve the public benefit.”
He stressed, “When Parliament enacted the budget law, it adhered to the constitutional contexts, both formally and substantively, and sought to include in it articles that guarantee the rights of all citizens.”
Al-Touki concluded, “The representatives hope that the government will undertake the implementation of the budget in the manner that was established in the law.”
And MP Jassim Al-Moussawi confirms that “the budget has achieved its goals by reducing unemployment rates by providing job grades.”
And he talked about, “they include materials to find great investment opportunities, as there are a large number of projects that need manpower, and in turn, they will also reduce unemployment rates.”
Al-Moussawi finds, “The financial reforms are clear in this law, by allocating sums of up to 38 trillion dinars to investment.”
He stressed, “There are parties to appeal to the law, most notably the government, and we will wait for what the Federal Supreme Court says regarding these appeals, and everyone will abide by the judicial decisions.”
Al-Moussawi concluded, “The economic situation has witnessed a great improvement, and the budget came in response to the current changes and kept pace with the needs of society.”
The budget deficit is estimated at 64 trillion dinars per year, but government and parliamentary agencies expected the possibility of repaying this deficit through surplus oil sales and the difference in the price of a barrel between what is established in the law and what is sold officially.
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