Iraqi finance minister tells lawmaker of 3.3 trillion dinar deficit in salary and pension budget

BAGHDAD, Iraq — Iraqi Finance Minister Faries al-Issa told a lawmaker that monthly salary and pension obligations for public employees, retirees and social welfare recipients have reached 7.8 trillion Iraqi dinars, with a current-account shortfall of about 3.3 trillion dinars. The disclosure came during a meeting with MP Haidar Mohammed Kazim al-Mutayri, who shared the details afterward. According to the lawmaker, the Finance Ministry made a 3 trillion dinar payment to several ministries a few days ago and holds 1.5 trillion dinars in its coffers. Officials are working to raise the retirement payroll amount to 1.65 trillion dinars. Al-Mutayri also said employees of the Education Ministry with postgraduate degrees and promotions have not received salaries for ten months, prompting the minister to direct the relevant department to finalize the case. The talks covered stipend payments for scholarship students abroad, unreviewed advance payments and tax collection from foreign companies, as well as the minister's review of the cancellation of Prime Minister's Order No. 174 of 2025 on scrap iron sales. The minister also stressed that an electronic automation project aimed at preventing duplicate salary payments will continue.