Iraq’s 2011 budget scarce, average income per capita small, ex minister says.

  KARBALA / IraqiNews.com: Member of the Iraqi Parliament for the National Coalition and Member of its Health Committee, Saleh Mahdi al-Hasnawi, has described Iraq ’s 2011 State Budget as “scarce” and the average income-per-capita as small, compared with other countries.   “The General Budget for 2011 has suffered a deficit of 17 billion U.S. dollars, and the increase of oil prices now that has reached 100 dollars per barrel is not enough to cover the deficit of the budget,” Hasnawi, a former Health Minister, told IraqiNews.com news agency.   Hasnawi said that this year’s General Budget is “scarce and the Iraqi citizen must understand that,” expressing hope that the 2012 budget would be more delicate and practical.”   “The average annual income-per-capita of the Iraqi citizen reaches 2,300-2,500 U.S. dollars, which is small compared to that of in the other states,” adding that the amounts deducted from the Budget for Kuwait’s loans reach 5% of its total amount, along with 3% for the so-called Paris Club; so one can say that the income is not enough to allege that we have a good health condition.,” he said.   SKH (TI)   995