Iraq: Government Announces Inability to Pay October Salaries

Media Observatory of the Middle-EastEast and North Africa reported that the Parliamentary Finance Committee issued a statement announcing that the Iraqi government is unable to pay civil servants' salaries for the month of October because of lower government revenues and the current budget deficit.

In this context, the Commission explained that Iraq is not over-indebted, which means that the government can opt for a loan in view of the fall in world oil prices and the fall in Iraqi oil exports in recent weeks.

According to government data, civil servants' payroll reached about $5 billion last August, while oil revenues in the same month were around $3 billion.$5 billion, which resulted in a 45-day wage payment delay at the same time.