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ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Iraq has established two customs checkpoints on the Erbil-Kirkuk and the Sulaimani-Kirkuk roads at the request of Kirkuk’s acting governor Rakkan Saeeid. They will begin collecting taxes from next week.
According to Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi’s military affairs spokesman, the revenues from these customs points will be divided between Kirkuk and the Iraqi government.
The rate of customs fees has not yet been determined. However, it is said they will start at 100,000 IQD per truck load.
Besides these two customs points, there are ten further checkpoints and four truck scales along the routes.
The frequency of fees at these busy checkpoints has angered truck drivers.
The Kirkuk provincial council says it is unaware of the new customs points at the gates of its province and believes there are political motives behind the project, which it deems illegal.
Iraqi federal police supervise the process. Customs fees between Baghdad and Kirkuk, meanwhile, will be removed.
Erbil and Baghdad have long disputed the imposition of customs points and their revenues. Baghdad has demanded Erbil hand over the Ibrahim Khalil border crossing with Turkey.
When Kurds controlled Kirkuk, Baghdad had a customs point between Baghdad and the disputed city. Business owners often complained of being taxed twice.
According to Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi’s military affairs spokesman, the revenues from these customs points will be divided between Kirkuk and the Iraqi government.
The rate of customs fees has not yet been determined. However, it is said they will start at 100,000 IQD per truck load.
Besides these two customs points, there are ten further checkpoints and four truck scales along the routes.
The frequency of fees at these busy checkpoints has angered truck drivers.
The Kirkuk provincial council says it is unaware of the new customs points at the gates of its province and believes there are political motives behind the project, which it deems illegal.
Iraqi federal police supervise the process. Customs fees between Baghdad and Kirkuk, meanwhile, will be removed.
Erbil and Baghdad have long disputed the imposition of customs points and their revenues. Baghdad has demanded Erbil hand over the Ibrahim Khalil border crossing with Turkey.
When Kurds controlled Kirkuk, Baghdad had a customs point between Baghdad and the disputed city. Business owners often complained of being taxed twice.
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