An economist says there will be no new budget without final accounts for previous years.
An economist says there will be no new budget without final accounts for previous years.
11-7-2026
Information/Special…
Economic expert Nadim Issa warned on Saturday against proceeding with the preparation and approval of the 2027 budget in the complete absence of final accounts for previous years. He emphasized that burdening citizens with additional fees and taxes to cover the financial deficit is unjust and makes the people pay the price for waste and corruption.
Issa told the Information Agency, “The fundamental question before delving into the items of the 2027 budget concerns the fate of the completely missing final accounts. It is economically and constitutionally impossible to prepare a new estimated budget without knowing the actual figures for the past year, including any financial surpluses or outstanding debts.” He explained that “the constitution obligates the government to submit the final accounts in September for parliamentary approval before sending the budget schedules, especially since the country has been operating under a three-year budget system.”
Issa called on the parliament to “refrain from voting on the draft budget unless the final accounts are submitted, in order to protect public funds and prevent a recurrence of the misappropriation of allocations.” He stressed that “the Iraqi citizen is not complicit in corruption or financial waste, so he should not be forced to pay the price for the deficit and shortfall. Fees and taxes have reached unreasonable levels and are not matched by any level of basic services.”
The political expert questioned “the extent to which the risks of war and regional tensions have been factored into the budget calculations. In the event of war, oil exports will cease entirely, and setting the price per barrel at $58 will be ineffective without export outlets.” He pointed out that “alternative pipelines through Saudi Arabia, Syria, or Jordan will take about four years to complete, which means that the government is preparing a budget that is unaware of its actual revenue and is automatically heading towards increasing the burdens on citizens.”
Issa strongly criticized the “double tax collection system; many countries rely on taxes to manage their affairs efficiently because they lack natural resources, while the Iraqi government controls all oil wealth and simultaneously imposes exorbitant taxes and fees on water, electricity, passports, identity cards, and license plates without providing any corresponding services or benefits.”
Issa concluded his statement by emphasizing that “a balanced budget and a stable Iraqi economy cannot be achieved through arbitrary tax collection, but rather by controlling state revenues and stopping the bleeding caused by two key issues: corruption and financial waste. Without addressing these issues, the crises will persist and be passed down.”
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