Iraq’s parliament plans to adopt legislation to cut the pay and benefits of top officials by the end of the month, Speaker Usama al-Nujaifi said.
Parliament will start discussing the matter on April 26 and pass one law or three separate ones by the end of April, al- Nujaifi said in a press conference in Baghdad.
The government approved in February a draft law that would cut senior officials’ salaries and benefits by more than half. The money saved is meant to be used for reconstruction projects and to achieve equality in pay and benefits.
Iraqi protesters, inspired by unrest across the Arab world, have taken to the streets to demonstrate against poor living conditions, power rationing and corruption. Iraq, which has the world’s fifth-biggest crude-oil reserves, is seeking foreign investment to help boost energy exports and to pay for rebuilding of the economy and infrastructure after decades of war and sanctions.
The law would cut the salaries and benefits of the president, the prime minister, the parliament speaker and all their deputies by more than 50 percent, government spokesman Ali Al-Dabbagh said Feb. 22. Compensation for ministers and members of parliament would be slashed by more than 40 percent.
Parliament approved in February a 96.6 trillion-dinar ($83 billion) budget for 2011 that forecasts a deficit of 15.7 trillion dinars.