Finance committee approves controversial amendments in budget bill

Shafaq News / Iraq's Parliamentary Finance Committee member, Mustafa Sanad, announced Thursday that the committee had voted on amendments related to the Kurdistan region in the national budget law, particularly concerning oil deliveries. The announcement marked the withdrawal of the Kurdistan Democratic Party's MPs' during the meeting.

The Kurdistan regional government had previously declared its rejection of any changes to the clauses and items involving the region's financial dues in the draft of the Iraqi general budget law for the next three years, a declaration made Wednesday.

In a tweet, Sanad revealed, "The Finance Committee votes to amend the clauses related to the region and obliges it to deliver oil to SOMO for local export in case of inability to export." He further noted that the account "exclusively opens by the finance minister, and the disbursement conditions are included and dependent on compliance and withdrawal of the (party) representatives from the meeting."

While Sanad did not clarify the cause of withdrawal, it ostensibly appeared as a protest against the meeting's resolutions, mirroring the regional perspective in objecting to these parliamentary amendments within the committee.

On the other hand, deputies from the KDP declined to comment on the decision.

Speaker of the Iraqi Parliament, Mohammed al-Halbousi, stated that the Parliament would vote on the draft budget law next Saturday.

On March 13, the Iraqi Cabinet approved the largest financial budget in the country's history, exceeding 197 trillion and 828 billion Iraqi dinars (approximately 152.2 billion dollars), with a total deficit of 63 trillion Iraqi dinars. The budget leverages the global rise in oil prices, which accounts for over 95% of the country's financial revenue, amidst objections from financial and legal experts concerning the budget items. However, the approval of these amendments has not been finalized due to ongoing disputes.