North Iraq’s Kurdistan Region’s new budget exceeds 13 trillion (t) – 940 billion (b) Iraqi dinars
ARBIL / IraqiNews.com: The budget of north Iraq Kurdistan Region’s budget for the current year has reached 13 trillions (t) and 940 billion (b) Iraqi dinars, Kurdistan Premier, Barham Saleh, told a news conference in Arbil, attended by IraqiNews.com news agency, on Sunday. (A U.S. dollar equals 1,180 Iraqi dinars approx.) “We have passed the current budget for the Kurdistan Region, that will be raised to the Parliament for final approval, reaching 13 trillions (t) and 940 billion (b) Iraqi dinars, including 9 trillions (t) and 687 billion (b) dinars for expenditures and the commissioning budget, 4 billions (b) and 150 millions for the investment projects, along with the allocation of 54 billions (b) dinars for the Kurdistan Parliament’s expenditures, 48 billions (b) for the Reion’s Supreme Legislative Council and 200 billion (b) dinars, as advance payments for the Kurdistan Parties, pending the final approval of the Parties Law,” Saleh said. He pointed out to the “existence of a deficit in the Region’s budget for the current year, reaching 1,554 billion (b) Iraqi dinars,” adding that “the largest part of the deficit is due to the budget of the Pesh Merga (Kurdish armed forces), because the Pesh Merga Ministry’s allocations must be directly paid by the Iraqi Defense Ministry.” Kurdistan’s Premier also announced the existence of 25,000 jobs in the Region’s government institutions, pointing out to the allocation of 25 billion (b) Iraqi dinars for small credits and for finding employment opportunities for the youth and to support the project aimed at enabling students to find jobs. Premier Saleh also said that the Region’s government had decided to raise the “marraige advance payment from one million to 2.5 million Iraqi dinars and to revise the salaries for the special degrees, the Region’s Presidency, the ministers, director-generals and advisors, provided that 10% of those salaries would be deducted . PT / SKH 836