Budget delays hinder Baghdad projects as province receives 1.6 trillion dinars

[alan_coaks_3]

2 - 27 - 2012

BAGHDAD, Feb. 27 (AKnews) - Baghdad Provincial Council has received 1.6tr IQD ($1.4bn) from the 2012 budget but the local governor said the delay in adopting the budget will affect the completion of planned projects.

Governor of Baghdad Salah Abdul-Razzaq said during a press conference at the council: "After the approval of the Council of Representatives on the budget, 1.327tr IQD ($1.1bn) were allocated to Baghdad province within the 2012 budget. We asked the Ministry of Finance to increase the amount where it reached 1.6tr dinars.

"The increase in the budget of the provinces came too late, and this will affect the completion of the projects scheduled to be implemented this year. The provinces were supposed to be informed about their budgets last year in order to start drawing charts for the projects, considering that the schemes require a lot of time to be completed."

Abdul-Razzaq criticized the complexity of the relationship between ministries and local governments. He called for power to be given to local authorities in a bid to end the centralized nature of decision-making in federal government.

"The powers granted to some provinces are only to freeze the crisis, nothing more. And there are many frozen laws that can't be implemented," he added.

The Iraqi Council of Representatives approved the 2012 budget during a meeting last Thursday following months of delay due to political disputes. The total budget is 117tr IQD ($100.5bn) , with a deficit of 14.7tr IQD ($12.6bn).

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