Initial details on the size of the budget and the date of its passage in Parliament
Initial details on the size of the budget and the date of its passage in Parliament.
2025-03-13 | 02:44
SumerianNews
Representatives and government advisors revealed preliminary details on Thursday about the size of the current year’s budget and the likely date of its submission to parliament. Estimates indicate it will not differ significantly from last year’s budget.
The Prime Minister’s advisor, Mazhar Mohammed Saleh, said, “The budget is based on two main components: the operational component, which constitutes 68-70 percent of the total public spending ceiling and covers salaries, wages, pensions, and social welfare, and the investment component, which is allocated to support development and service projects.”
He explained that “the government is committed to guaranteeing the salaries of employees, retirees, and social welfare, as approximately 8 million citizens receive government income, indirectly supporting nearly 40 million citizens.” He pointed out that “the implementation of service projects, such as water, electricity, schools, and hospitals, is a priority parallel to securing salaries.”
He emphasized that “the budget will operate within spending ceilings of approximately 200 trillion dinars, with a hypothetical deficit estimated at 64 trillion dinars, to be financed from domestic sources if the average annual price of a barrel of oil falls below $70, or exports decline below 3.4 million barrels per day.”
He emphasized that “strategic financial planning is accompanied by careful monitoring of spending to ensure economic stability,” stressing that “the current phase is witnessing a major reconstruction movement and a digital and industrial transformation, which contributes to achieving sustainable development.”
He added that “the budget is expected to reach the House of Representatives during the current March, according to the House’s estimates, as intensive consultations are taking place between the legislative and executive authorities to ensure its approval within the appropriate timeline.”
For its part, the Parliamentary Finance Committee confirmed that the 2025 budget will not be significantly different from last year’s, and is likely to be passed as it arrives from the government, without any changes.
Committee member Jamal Koujar said, “The Finance Committee will hold a session after the draft budget reaches parliament and will submit a report to parliament to determine whether or not to discuss it within the committee.”
He added, “If it is decided to discuss the budget within the committee, then it will proceed. However, if it is not brought up for discussion, it will be voted on as it arrived from the government.” He explained that “the new budget will not differ significantly from its predecessor, except for some amendments to the tables, and without any major transfers or changes.”
Koujar indicated that “the government may ask parliament to vote on the budget in its current form, which means passing it as prepared by the executive authority, without introducing parliamentary amendments,” according to the government-run Al-Sabah newspaper.
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