Economist: Addressing the budget deficit begins with reducing expenditures and pursuing ghost employees.
Economist: Addressing the budget deficit begins with reducing expenditures and pursuing ghost employees.
11-2-2026
Al-Maalomah/Anbar…
Economic expert Rashid al-Saadi affirmed on Monday that addressing the government’s budget deficit requires well-considered steps, avoiding impulsive and ill-conceived measures. He warned that continuing current financial policies could exacerbate the economic crisis and disproportionately affect segments of society.
In a statement to Al-Maalomah News Agency, al-Saadi said, “Addressing the government’s budget deficit should begin with carefully planned steps. The government of Ali al-Zaidi should reduce the expenditures of the three branches of government, address the issue of ghost employees and those receiving multiple salaries (numbering in the thousands), and cut infrastructure allocations for officials, their security details, fuel expenses, and travel allowances, instead of resorting to borrowing or raising the dollar exchange rate.”
He added, “Resorting to external borrowing will present the al-Zaidi government with a difficult test, as the loan conditions obligate the government to implement clauses that may be difficult to enforce. This could plunge the country into economic chaos, the repercussions of which will be difficult to mitigate in the coming years.”
He added, “Activating anti-corruption laws and recovering funds from senior officials involved in corruption will provide substantial sums of money that will contribute to addressing the budget deficit.” He also noted that “the time has come to reduce the salaries of officials and open investigations into ghost employees in all sectors of the government without exception.”
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