No Budget, No Answers: Iraq’s 2025 financial plan still missing

Shafaq News/ The Iraqi government has yet to submit the 2025 budget tables to parliament, prompting criticism from the Parliamentary Finance Committee, which described the delay on Tuesday as “unexplained.”

Committee member Saad al-Noubi said both Planning Minister Mohammed Tamim and Finance Minister Taif Sami had previously told lawmakers the tables had been sent to the Cabinet. “But until now, nothing has arrived,” he told Shafaq News, calling the delay a “clear challenge” to the legislature.

The documents were expected before the end of March, in line with Iraq’s three-year federal budget covering 2023 to 2025. Al-Noubi said the committee had requested clarification from the ministers but received no reply.

The absence of the budget tables has raised concerns over potential disruptions to public spending, including public sector salaries and regional allocations, particularly to the Kurdistan Region. Without parliamentary approval, planned expenditures for 2025 remain on hold.

Iraq faces mounting economic pressures and political friction between branches of government, with lawmakers warning that further postponement could strain fiscal planning and service delivery.