ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — MPs from Kurdistan Region in the Iraqi parliament are expecting to see a slight increase in Erbil's share of the Iraqi federal budget compared to its 2018 sum.
The Kurdistan Regional Government's (KRG) will be increased from 12.67 to 14 percent for Fiscal Year 2019, according to a member of the finance committee.
"Good news is coming," said MP Ahmed Safar on Saturday.
Safar explained the KRG's share will no longer stand at 12.67, but 14.
The lawmaker from the Kurdistan Democratic Party added that the "reservations that we had were taken into account and they were fixed."
He also revealed there are attempts to make Baghdad to pay the salaries of the Peshmerga, martyrs and political prisoners and Anfal victims salaries — independent of the KRG's budget share.
The budget is roughly based off the population in areas administered by the Kurdistan Regional Government. However, lacking an official census since 1987, Baghdad relies on ration cards and other means to determine population.
For 2018, the KRG's share was effectively increased 14 percent after the parliament voted to allocate emergency funds into the KRG's share.
Politicians from the Kurdistan Region want to see their share of the budget returned to 17 percent, especially because the Kirkuk-Ceyhan oil pipeline is part-controlled by the KRG.
The KRG controlled Kirkuk oil exports through the ISIS conflict. With the loss of the disputed areas in October 2017, the KRG says their revenues have nearly been halved.
Fuad Hussein, a Kurd, fills the post of finance minister in the new government.
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