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ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iraq's customs authority generated 2.5 trillion Iraqi dinars (over $1.9 billion) in revenue during the first seven months of 2026, matching the total collected in all of 2025, according to the head of the country's customs authority.
Thamer Qasim Dawood, head of Iraq's General Customs Authority, told Rudaw's Nahro Mohammed on Saturday that Iraqi customs revenues have reached unprecedented levels this year.
"Customs revenue has risen to record levels, with 2.5 trillion dinars collected so far; this is equal to the total revenue for the entire year of 2025," Dawood said. He added that customs revenues in July alone totaled 560 billion dinars [$427 million], marking a 150 percent increase compared with the same month last year.
Dawood predicted that customs revenues would surpass 3.5 trillion dinars [$2.6 billion] by the end of 2026. "This will be the highest revenue recorded since the history of the establishment of the Iraqi state," he said.
According to Dawood, the increase is largely the result of the implementation of the Automated System for Customs Data (ASYCUDA) and the electronic integration of federal customs centers with government institutions.
He said the measures have played a major role in reducing corruption and preventing tax and customs evasion at border crossings across the country.
ASYCUDA, an electronic customs platform developed by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) in the early 1980s, digitizes and standardizes customs procedures. The system is currently used at all 22 federal border crossings in Iraq.
Under the system, importers must obtain federal approval, pay customs duties in advance, and gain access to foreign currency at the official exchange rate through the Central Bank of Iraq.
The announcement of figures comes a day after Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi visited the headquarters of the Border Ports Authority to review electronic border management systems, cargo inspection procedures, and auditing mechanisms at airports and ports.
During the visit, Border Ports Authority chief Omar al-Waeli said revenues generated from border crossings exceeded 500 billion dinars in July.
"This is a figure that has never been recorded before," Waeli said.
Waeli also outlined directives issued by Zaidi during the visit, including "tightening procedures and coordinating with judicial authorities to eradicate corruption, making the fight against drug and medicine smuggling a priority, and activating transit steps so that Iraq becomes a link between Europe and the Gulf countries within the framework of the Development Road project."
He added that authorities have made significant progress in digitizing transactions and integrating them with the ASYCUDA system to prevent fraud and tampering with commodity receipts.
