Kurdistan Regional Government’s Responsibility in Employee Salary Disbursement
In a recent statement, Suran Omar, a member of the Finance Committee in the Iraqi Parliament, reiterated that the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) bears the responsibility for disbursing salaries to employees for the twelfth month of last year. This confirmation was made during an interview on February 19, 2025.
Omar highlighted that the Federal Ministry of Finance transferred an amount of 441 billion dinars designated for employee salaries for December. However, he pointed out that the KRG has not utilized any portion of this fund.
“The regional government has the capability to disburse the salaries for the month in question and to allocate the necessary funds from non-oil internal revenues. This is a right owed to employees, and it cannot be neglected, as the federal government has provided the required allocations,” stated Omar.
On the other hand, Ribwar Muhammad Amin, a member of the Kurdistan Justice Party, indicated that federal banks have shown willingness to facilitate the localization of employees’ salaries within the Kurdistan region. He noted recent communications from Al-Rafidain and Al-Rasheed banks affirming their readiness to support this process.
Amin emphasized that, “With the issuance of relevant documents from the aforementioned banks, the onus falls entirely on the regional government and the ruling parties.” He expressed concerns regarding the lack of initiative within the Ministry of Settlements to address employees’ salary issues, stating that the KRG appears to perpetuate the ongoing crisis by managing salary disbursements according to its preferences. “Ultimately, it is the citizen who suffers the consequences of these decisions,” he remarked.
This situation underscores the critical interplay between federal and regional governance structures in Iraq, particularly concerning fiscal responsibilities and employee compensation in the context of Kurdistan’s economic management.
