Al-Zaydi: “Pre-payment” will be adopted starting next month.
Al-Zaydi: “Pre-payment” will be adopted starting next month.
2026-09-06
Shafaq News – Baghdad
Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi confirmed on Sunday that the “pre-deduction” mechanism will be adopted starting from the beginning of next October, in order to enhance the efficiency of financial management and raise the level of non-oil revenues.
This came during his reception of the Ishraqa Kanoun delegation, its political office and its parliamentary bloc, headed by the party’s Secretary-General Yasser Majid Al Nasrallah.
During the meeting, Al-Zaydi stressed, according to a statement from his office received by Shafaq News Agency, the importance of the legislative and oversight role of the House of Representatives in supporting the work of the government.
He pointed out that there are a number of draft laws that require expedited approval, most notably the draft law on the Internal Control Authority, along with a number of other legislations, praising the performance level of the Ishraqa Kanoun bloc and its role in various fields.
He pointed to the government’s directions within the framework of the government program to address a number of service and economic files, especially in the areas of housing, electricity, and the establishment of economic cities, in a way that contributes to improving the level of services, supporting development and providing job opportunities.
Al-Zaydi explained the government’s interest in developing the tax and customs systems, through automating procedures and modernizing work mechanisms, as well as adopting the pre-deduction mechanism, starting from the beginning of next October, which will enhance the efficiency of financial management and raise the level of non-oil revenues.
For its part, the Ishraqa Kanoun delegation expressed its support for the Prime Minister’s efforts and the government’s measures in combating corruption and strengthening Iraq’s sovereignty, and expressed its readiness to adopt the draft internal oversight law and enhance cooperation and coordination between the House of Representatives and oversight bodies, according to the statement.
The Iraqi Cabinet had approved on August 18 the principle of pre-payment of customs duties and estimated tax deposits on imported goods, with implementation to begin on October 1, 2026.
According to the decision, the importer must deposit the amounts of foreign transfers for import purposes with the authorized banks, and the funds will not be transferred abroad except after paying the customs duties and estimated tax deposits through the ASYCUDA system and approved electronic payment methods.
The estimated amount is calculated based on the initial data provided by the importer, including the commercial invoice, shipping documents, customs classification, type of goods, their origin and value, according to the approved tariff schedules.
This transformation comes as part of a broader project to automate customs; the Iraqi Customs Authority announced in June 2026 the completion of the automation of 25 customs centers and the move towards implementing the single window with 15 ministries and departments.
It also announced in the same month that there were advanced understandings with the Kurdistan Region to unify the customs system and subject the region’s ports to ASYCUDA, in parallel with banking and regulatory measures to combat money laundering and inflated invoices.
shafaq.com
