MP: KRG can pay two salaries before with Eid al-Fitr oil revenues

The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) can pay salaries of two months before Eid al-Fitr with revenues from oil selling,  the head of the Natural Resources Committee of the Kurdistan Parliament confirmed on Sunday.

"According to my follow-up and the documents available to me, the KRG can disburse two salaries to employees, the first before the blessed month of Ramadan and the second before the blessed Eid al-Fitr, only through revenues of selling crude oil," said Ali Hama Salih, head of the Natural Resources Committee

"The government needs 600 million dollars to cover employee salaries. Last month, the price of a barrel of oil was $97. and the revenues available to the Ministry of Finance were 488 million dollars, but this month the price of a barrel of oil rose to $117, and thus oil revenues are at least 550 million dollars," he added.

"The extra 50 million dollars can be provided through local revenues, Erbil governorate provides 28.5 million dollars and Slemani provides 21.5 million dollars, at a time when border crossings' revenues are 100 million dollars per month, that is without revenues from taxes, fees, fines, and other things, so right now the government has more money than it needs for salaries," he said.

Salih's remarks come amid delay in distributing employees' salaries in the Kurdistan Region. The KRG had previously promised to distribute salaries on the 25th of every month, but so far public institution employees have not received anything.

The KRG blames the Iraqi Government for not sending the monthly 200 million dinars dues of the Kurdistan Region. The KRG delivered the 200 million dinars on Sunday morning.

According to Kamal Atrushi, the KRG Minister of Natural Resources, the regional government sells more than 450,000 barrels of oil daily through pipelines.

Selling more than 450,000 barrels of oil per day, each barrel is sold $9 less per barrel according to PM Masrour Barzani, is enough to pay full salaries monthly, but the distribution of employees' monthly salaries has not yet begun, and a portion of employees have not received last February's salaries due to lack of funds in banks. 



PUKmedia