Economist warns: Oil prices falling below $70 only cover salaries, 9 MARCH

 Economist warns: Oil prices falling below $70 only cover salaries

Economic expert Nabil Al Marsomi warned of the repercussions of the decline in oil prices on the government’s financial situation, stressing that Iraq is facing an escalating financial crisis with the start of the decline in oil revenues since last February.

Al-Marsoumi told Al-Furat News Agency that "expectations of the financial crisis have begun to materialize on the ground, as the government has imposed strict restrictions on investment spending, and decided not to include new projects in the 2025 budget and to suffice with completing the current projects included in the current budget."

He pointed out that the current price of an Iraqi barrel, which is about $67, is only enough to cover about two-thirds of the general budget, explaining that "current oil revenues are allocated entirely to paying salaries and social welfare programs, while vital governing and sovereign paragraphs related to the lives of citizens and the national economy are marginalized.

Al-Marsoumi pointed out that the situation requires proactive measures to avoid the exacerbation of the crisis, calling for rationalizing public spending and strengthening non-oil sources of income to ensure the stability of public finances. link