As the Iraqi Ministry of Planning announced that the country’s population has reached 43 million, Prime Minister Mohammad Shiaa Al-Sudani stressed that most of the challenges and problems facing Iraqi society have economic roots.
Addressing the conference on reforming the tax system in Iraq on Wednesday, Sudani said: “Today’s tax reform... represents an important message to local and foreign investors, companies, and international organizations that this government is serious about restoring the business environment, reforming systems and legislation, and rehabilitating the institutional building to make them more attractive to investment, production, and employment.”
The Iraqi prime minister revealed that that total imports for 2022, according to data from the International Trade Center, amounted to $42 billion, while data obtained by the Central Bureau of Statistics pointed to $16 billion.
“This means that about $26 billion were not subject to duties... We have to imagine the amount of waste in financial revenues, which has disastrous effects on various industrial, commercial and agricultural sectors... These businesses will stop, and we will not be able to proceed with development projects,” he warned.
According to Sudani, the government’s priority is to address economic problems by fighting corruption and implementing tax reforms, as well as encouraging investments.
The head of the committee in charge of the Tax System Reform Conference, Ali Razouki, stressed that the committee seeks to enhance works towards the achievement of the country’s economic, financial, social, political and development goals.
“Since the first day of its birth, the government has been keen to address issues that affect the lives of citizens, including economic reforms,” he said.
As the government is trying to resolve the economic and social problems facing the country, recent figures show that Iraq is witnessing a remarkable population growth.
In the latest census for 2023, the Ministry of Planning announced that the Iraqi population has reached 43 million people.
The ministry’s official spokesman, Abdul Zahra Al-Hindawi, added in a statement that Baghdad was the most populous city, encompassing around 9 million people.
