Today, Wednesday, March 27, 2024, the Council of Ministers of the Kurdistan Region held its weekly meeting, headed by Prime Minister Masrour Barzani and in the presence of Deputy Speaker Qubad Talabani. It took a number of decisions that are in the interest of the citizens of the region.
In the first paragraph, which formed the main focus of the meeting’s agenda, the Minister of Finance and Economy, Awat Sheikh Janab, gave a briefing on the current financial situation of the Kurdistan Regional Government, especially with regard to the entitlements of salary recipients in the region. In the context of his clarification, the Minister spoke about all the procedures and steps taken regarding sending the monthly trial balances of the ministries and government departments in the region to the Federal Ministry of Finance, in addition to sending the list of all salary recipients, which includes special information about the salaries of members of the Peshmerga and security institutions, which was sent to the government. After the completion of the audit process by the Financial Supervision Bureau today, which requires the federal government to perform its duty in sending the salaries of all salary recipients in the region, especially since there is no longer any justification that prevents the allocation of salary recipients’ entitlements.
The Prime Minister expressed his thanks to the Minister of Finance and Economy for his clear explanation and provision of accurate data and information about the financial situation, which informed the Council of Ministers and public opinion in the region about the reality of the situation.
The Prime Minister stressed the importance of defending the constitutional entity of the region and the rights of its citizens and their financial entitlements, and stressed the necessity of not allowing any party to infringe on these rights. He reiterated the firm position of the Kurdistan Regional Government in its desire to reach a balanced agreement with the federal government within the framework of the Iraqi constitution, indicating that the Kurdistan Region will continue to adhere to all its constitutional duties, and that the Ministry of Finance and Economy of the Kurdistan Regional Government has fulfilled all its duties in this framework, and that The federal government must fulfill its constitutional duty to send the region’s dues for the remaining salaries of members of the Peshmerga and security institutions for the month of February, in addition to the full salaries for the month of March and subsequent months.
Regarding the process of localizing salaries in the region, the Prime Minister touched on the importance of the (My Bank Account) project in the process of localizing salaries, and pointed out that the project is advanced and works under the supervision and licensing of the Central Bank of Iraq, and provides many financial services and many facilities to salary recipients, and forms part of the localization process. Their salaries.
After discussions and deliberations on the first paragraph of the agenda, the Council of Ministers unanimously took the following decisions:
1. Directing the Ministry of Finance and Economy to begin distributing February salaries to those who receive all salaries, as well as directing all ministries and institutions of the region to prepare a list of salaries for the month of March 2024 and send it to the federal government, in light of the constitutional responsibility placed on it to fulfill its promises regarding the salaries of February and March and the following months. Thus, the Kurdistan Regional Government has fulfilled all its obligations within the framework of the Constitution, as the final step today, March 27, 2024, was to send all information related to the salaries of members of the Peshmerga and security institutions to the federal government after being audited by the Office of Financial Supervision.
2. Directing the Ministry of Municipalities and Tourism and the Office of the Prime Minister to distribute residential plots of land to all employees and members of the Kurdistan Regional Government who have not previously benefited from receiving plots of land.
3. Reducing 20% (twenty percent) of the amounts of water and electricity fees accumulated by citizens, until the exceptional financial situation returns to normal in the region.
4. Reducing 20% (twenty percent) of the fees and rents of the Ministry of Towns and Tourism that are owed by earners and craftsmen, until the exceptional financial situation returns to normal in the region.
5. Reducing customs duties on the import of live animals imported for slaughtering and breeding purposes by 50% (fifty percent) of the current duties, provided that these duties are reconsidered one year after the issuance of this decision.
6. Exempting employers, especially social security subscribers, from all late fines accumulated on them for a period of 90 days (ninety days). This exemption requires that employers, during that period, pay the full amount of social security contributions.
7. Exempting citizens from fines for traffic violations at a rate of 20% (twenty percent), including old fines, provided that the exemption continues until the end of work on 9/30/2024.
8. Providing the necessary facilities within the framework of tax laws to taxpayers from categories and segments of earners and craftsmen, while exempting them from all fines resulting from delays in paying the taxes imposed on them.
9. An additional 20% (twenty percent) reduction in the fees for parallel and evening education in all universities, institutes and institutions affiliated with the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, in addition to the reduction rates previously approved by the Ministry in this regard.
10. All relevant ministries and authorities must implement these decisions.
The second paragraph of the Council of Ministers meeting dealt with the decisions and instructions of the Central Bank of Iraq regarding cash withdrawals in the US dollar currency, as the Minister of Finance and Economy presented these decisions and instructions that aim to control the price of the dinar against the dollar.
The Council of Ministers concluded the meeting by assigning the ministries and relevant authorities to study these decisions and instructions in order to take the necessary decisions regarding them in the upcoming Council meetings.
Kurdistan Regional Government
March 27, 2024
