Cabinet decisions for today's session

Baghdad-INA  
A statement issued by the Prime Minister's Media Office, received by the Iraqi News Agency (INA), said, "Prime Minister Muhammad Shia' al-Sudani presided today, Tuesday, the thirteenth regular session of the Council of Ministers, during which developments in the general situation in the country were discussed, and a number of basic files were discussed. , which fall within the priorities of the government program and follow up on the implementation of its procedures, in addition to discussing the topics on the agenda and issuing decisions in this regard.
 
The Council of Ministers Holds the 13th Regular Session Chaired by Prime Minister Mr. Mohammed S. Al-Sudani
 
Prime Minister, Mohammed Shia’ Al-Sudani, chaired today the ninth regular session of the Council of Ministers. During the session, the Council of Ministers discussed the country's general situation, the most prominent issues associated with the government program, priorities, and follow-up on the implementation progress and procedures. They also discussed the regular items on the agenda and made several decisions.
 
At the session's outset, the Prime Minister directed all ministers to exert maximum efforts during the blessed month of Ramadan to ease the burdens on Iraqi citizens in this holy month. His Excellency also directed the Ministry of Trade to address any delay associated with distributing Ramadan food baskets and subsidized foodstuffs.
 
Al-Sudani stressed that all ministers should be on time to evaluate the work of directors general in their ministries.
 
He also directed all teams in Iraqi ministries to implement the electronic payment point of sale (POS), and he expressed his appreciation for the Ministry of Oil's use of electronic payment at gas stations.
 
Following the orders of the Prime Minister to provide support to the private sector and address the obstacles facing its activities, and implement the government program to invigorate the private sector and move the economy forward in Iraq, the Council of Ministers approved the recommendations of the Ministerial Council for the Economy for the year 2023, taking into account the advice of the Legal Department at the General Secretariat of the Council of Ministers.
 
The recommendations included several decisions that would improve the status of the private sector, as follows:
 
1- Write off debts resulting from the cases below, based on the amended Federal Financial Management Law:
 
A. Construction permit fees accrued from industrial projects.
B. Amounts of fines owed by private commercial companies resulting from applying Article (217) of the Companies Law No. (21) of 1997 as amended.
C. The amounts of fines owed by taxpayers resulting from applying Article (30) of the Real Estate Tax Law No. (126) of 1959, Article (56) of the Income Tax Law No. (113) of 1982, and Article (8) of the Property Tax Law No. (26) For the year 1962, provided that the taxpayer fulfills their obligations above within (3) working months starting from the date of issuance of this decision.
 
2- The General Secretariat of the Council of Ministers undertakes to amend paragraph (1) of Cabinet Resolution (39 of 2018) to include an additional reduction in electricity fees for industrial projects.
 
3- Implementing Cabinet Resolution (390 of 2019) regarding reducing the customs fee for plastic granules to zero.
 
4- Confirming the implementation of Cabinet Resolution (227 of 2020), taking into account the following:
a. Amending paragraph (2) to become: (5 years) to (3 years) have passed since the granting of the incorporation completion permit for the industrial project.
 
B. Canceling paragraph (4) and replacing it with the following (that the industrial projects built on arable lands have obtained the approvals of the designated sectoral authorities following the Industrial Investment Law for the private and mixed sectors No. (20) of 1998).
 
5- The Ministry of Oil's reduction in fuel and energy prices for industrial projects, laboratories, productive factories, and refrigerated and frozen warehouses for farmers.
 
6- Forming a team from the Ministry of Industry and Minerals that includes representatives of the ministries (Finance / State Real Estate Department, Construction and Housing, Municipalities and Public Works, Industry and Minerals / Industrial Development Department, and the Municipality of Baghdad) in addition to a representative from the Iraqi Federation of Industries, They are authorized by the minister or the head of the state agency for allocating land for industrial projects.
7- The Ministry of Finance shall authorize the Director General of the State Real Estate Department to approve the rent amounts and the equivalent rent for lands allocated for industrial projects.
 
8- Forming a committee of the Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Agriculture and a representative of the General Federation of Cooperative Agricultural Associations in Iraq to study the amendment of customs rates for commodities in the agricultural calendar tables attached to the Customs Tariff Law No. (22).
 
9- Forming a committee that includes representatives of the Ministry of Planning, Ministry of Finance, and Ministry of Trade and a representative of the Chamber of Commerce to review the suitability of commodities that require issuing an import license in light of the import policy, to present a specific recommendation to the Ministerial Council of Economy.
 
10- Forming a committee, in coordination between the National Commission for Investment and the bodies granting the investment license, to review the fees collected from investors and to make specific recommendations to the Ministerial Council for Economy.
 
11- Coordination between the Ministry of Trade and a representative of the chambers of commerce and owners of private mills to set up mechanisms for importing wheat for commercial flour production.
 
12- Coordination between the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Agriculture to submit a specific recommendation to the General Secretariat of the Council of Ministers to determine the percentage of support for the purchase of the wheat crop in line with the agricultural plan.
 
13- Forming a committee in each governorate headed by the Ministry of Finance / Director of State Real Estate in the governorate and with the membership of a representative of the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Water Resources, to review the status of the lands belonging to the Ministry of Finance and allocated for agricultural reform purposes that do not have a water share or are not suitable for agriculture to seize for agricultural reform and cancel its allocation, and return it to the Ministry of Finance to allocate it to establish investment projects following Investment Law No. (13) of 2006 and Industrial Investment Law for the private and mixed sectors No. (20) of 1998.
 
14- Limit the authority of the committee formed according to the Diwani Order (46 of 2020) to allocate lands for projects specified by Legislative Resolution No. (1450) of 1981, amended by Resolution No. (577) of 1987.
 
15- The Ministry of Industry and Minerals should take the necessary measures to avoid delays in registering the trademark following the effective trademark and commercial data law.
 
16- The Ministry of Finance to issue controls for estimating real estate tax.
 
17- Canceling the Diwani Order Committee (14 of 2018) related to stopping imports and the proced…
  The Council of Ministers Holds the 13th Regular Session Chaired by Prime Minister Mr. Mohammed S. Al-Sudani
 
 
In line with the government's plans to support low-income families to face the rise in prices in the Iraqi market and to alleviate the burden of the citizens, the Council of Ministers approved the recommendation of the Ministerial Council for the Economy according to the following:
 
Firstly:
1- The Ministry of Trade/ the General Company for Foodstuff purchases eggs from producers, according to contracts concluded between them and licensed producers exclusively according to a pre-prepared standard contract form, with no more than the design capacity for each project that is determined by an official letter from the Ministry Agriculture and a purchase price equal to the average cost price, which is currently 57 thousand dinars per carton, with a weight of no less than (23) kg per carton, provided that the price is reviewed monthly by a joint committee from (the Department of Livestock, the General Company for Foodstuff Trade, the General Authority for Customs, and the Iraqi Association for the Welfare of Poultry producers.
 
2- The mechanism mentioned in Paragraph (1) above will continue until December 31, 2023.
 
3- Operate based on the Cabinet Resolution (183) for the year 2022, with the following amendments:
A- Paragraph (3) shall be applied to whole chickens only; chicken parts shall not be included in these orders to protect the local product.
B- Amending Paragraph (5) to become: (The customs duty on table eggs is (20%) as an exception to Cabinet Resolution 23055).
4- The Diwani Order Committee (23124), which is formed according to the letter of the Prime Minister's Office, continues to implement Paragraph (5) of the Diwani Order above, review the impact of the decisions resulting in the above paragraphs, and submit its recommendations within (60) working days.
5- This decision shall be implemented after the blessed Eid Al-Fitr holiday.
 
Based on what the Prime Minister ordered during his meeting with our national youth football team; For achieving an outstanding sporting achievement for Iraq, winning the silver medal in the AFC U-20 Asian Cup and qualifying for the FIFA U-20 World Cup finals, the Council of Ministers has approved the following:
 
1- Honoring the Iraqi youth football team players with a residential plot of 200 square meters and a monthly grant of 500,000 dinars for each of them, according to Law No. (6 of 2013) granting champions and pioneer athletes.
2- Honoring the administrative and training staff of the Iraqi youth football team and referees with a residential plot of land of 200 square meters for each of them.
 
In appreciation of the great sacrifices made by the members of the Armed Forces and the rest of the heroic security services, the Council of Ministers authorized the Ministry of Health to provide preventive and curative services to the wounded, conduct examinations, treatments, and various lab tests, provide psychological and medical rehabilitation services and treatment services at various levels and secure treatment costs inside Iraq and abroad.
 
The Ministry of Construction, Housing, Municipalities, and Public Works prioritize the armed forces and security agencies when distributing plots of land according to the government's housing plan.
 
The National Retirement Authority is working to resolve the issue of pension rights for the wounded of the armed forces and security services. The Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs is also responsible for coordinating with the Ministry of Health to open special centers for rehabilitating wounded members of the armed forces and security services.
 
In the educational sector, the Council of Ministers agreed to authorize the Ministry of Education to be exempt from the instructions for implementing government contracts to print exam books for sixth graders at secondary school.
 
Also, the Ministry of Education is exempt from the order preventing printing outside Iraq and authorizes the Ministry to print books exclusively in China.
 
Cancel Cabinet Resolutions No. (258 of 2022) and No. (251 of 2022). The Ministry of Education prints books per the instructions and fundamental procedures to achieve fair and transparent competition between state and private sector printing companies. The Ministry of Finance provides the funding for the printing at the rate of (1/12) for the Ministry.
 
In the energy sector, the Cabinet approved the recommendation of the Ministerial Energy Council No. (23010) for the year 2023, according to the following:
 
1. Increasing the allocated amount to $10 million instead of $5 million, as petroleum costs recovered from each service contract within the first, second, and third licensing rounds, noting that the contracts for the fourth round (exploratory block) included a clause requiring contractors to allocate (10%) of the annual budget for financing and implementing infrastructure projects.
2. Requiring local governments to draw up a five-year or three-year plan, after coordination between them and the relevant ministries, for charting urban policies, in line with the annual amounts allocated.
 
3. The plan shall be submitted by the local governments to the Ministry of Oil for coordination between them and the service contracts and local governments for the completion of these projects, taking into consideration the following notes:
 
A. Social benefits are recovered from companies executing the oil licensing rounds.
B. The annual increase should not be from $5 million to $10 million in absolute terms from the annual budget of the self-financing companies to provide social services in the field areas and exploration blocks and to implement infrastructure projects. It is considered oil costs recovered from each service contract within the first licensing rounds. 
C. Requiring local governments to develop a five-year or three-year plan after coordination between them and the relevant ministries for charting urban policies, in line with the amounts allocated annually, provided that this plan is approved by (the Prime Minister’s Office / the Higher Commission for Coordination between Governorates).
 
The Cabinet approved the recommendation of the Ministerial Energy Council regarding signing a memorandum of understanding for the processing of crude oil between the Ministry of Oil in the Republic of Iraq and the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan for one year taking into account the recommendations of the Ministry of Oil.
 
The Cabinet discussed other issues on the agenda and approved the following:
 
Firstly
1- The committee mentioned in Clause (Third) of Article (1) and Clause (Second) of Article (3), outlined in the Law of Seizure and Confiscation of Movable and Immovable Assets belonging to the leaders of the former regime, and shall be canceled.   
 
2- Recommend to the Council of Representatives to withdraw the Bill for the first amendment to the law of seizing and confiscating movable and immovable funds belonging to the leaders of the former regime (No. 72 of 2017).
 
3- The aggrieved party shall file lawsuits regarding the seizure or confiscation decision before the competent courts.
 
4- Consider the remarks of the legal advisor to the Prime Minister.
 
Second: Approval of the Bill for the first amendment to the Iraqi Supreme Maritime Authority Law (No. 18 of 2019), which was audited by the State Council, and referred to the Council of Representatives based on the provisions of the constitution, taking into account the notes of the legal department in the General Secretariat of the Council of Ministers.
 
Third: Confirming the implementation of Cabinet Decision No. (107 of 2016) Regarding liquidating the Sennacherib Company for Modern Public Irrigation Technologies affiliated with the Ministry of Agriculture.
 
Fourth: Authorize the Ministry of Finance to provide funding of two billion dinars as a grant to the Union of Iraqi Jurists to restore and rehabilitate the headquarters of the Union and its branches in the governorates after the enactment of the federal budget for the year 2023.