Discrepancies in fund disbursement: KRI's finances and Baghdad’s claims
Shafaq news / The Kurdish Democratic Party's (KDP) deputy, Ikhlas Al-Dulaimi, announced on Tuesday that the federal government did not dispurse eight trillion dinars to the Kurdistan region (KRI). She emphasized that the amount sent from Baghdad to Erbil was two trillion and five hundred billion dinars.
Al-Dulaimi, who is the Deputy Chair of the Parliamentary Finance Committee, told Shafaq News Agency, "The federal government claims that it has allocated eight trillion dinars to KRI, but in reality, the amount is five trillion and six hundred sixty-six billion dinars. This amount does not come solely from Baghdad but is added to the Region's oil and non-oil revenues."
She affirmed, "Officially, what has been allocated to the Region is approximately two trillion and five hundred billion dinars only, while the remaining amount comes from KRI's revenues."
She added, "We discussed with the negotiating delegation from the federal government the claims that KRI's revenues exceed 16 trillion dinars. If this is true, why are we negotiating with the federal government at all? If the region's revenues are of this magnitude, it can pay its employees' salaries without needing a share from the budget."
Al-Dulaimi continued, "The region's oil and non-oil revenues, along with financing and loans, do not exceed five trillion and five hundred billion dinars, while the government insists that it has paid eight trillion dinars to the region."
Al-Dulaimi stated that "the federal government has only disbursed loans to the region, which amount to two trillion and four hundred billion dinars, and the actual share of the region is 16 trillion and four hundred billion dinars."
It is noteworthy that since the formation of the current government until now, the governments of Baghdad and Erbil have not agreed on resolving issues related to oil and non-oil revenues achieved by KRI. After the approval of the federal budget, the issue of distributing the region's share remains unresolved.
Yesterday, a member of the Parliamentary Finance Committee, Muayyin Al-Kadhimi, told Shafaq News Agency, "Federal Finance Minister Taif Sami stated that the actual numbers of KRI's revenues are sufficient to pay the salaries of the Region's employees, who number 670,000."
Al-Kadhimi added that "KRI has received, since the beginning of 2023, a total of 8 trillion and 80 billion dinars, taking into consideration KRI's entitlement in the Budget Law, which is 12.67% of the actual expenses of the Iraqi state."
He explained that "KRI received during the first six months of 2023, 8 trillion dinars, including 3 trillion and 209 billion dinars from oil revenues from exports in the first months, 954 billion dinars from non-oil revenues and border crossings, 600 billion dinars from loans from Rafidain and Rasheed banks, and 318 billion dinars from loans from TBI Bank, in addition to new funding from the Ministry of Finance of 598 billion dinars and another 400 billion dinars from the Ministry of Finance. Therefore, the total amount is 8 trillion and 80 billion dinars, meaning that KRI received more than its allocated revenues."
