ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Council of Ministers instructed government ministries on Wednesday to submit their payroll details to the Iraqi government in the first ten days of the month. “The Council of Ministers reiterated that ministries must continue to send the payroll list and monthly financial audits in the first 10 days of each month so that there are no remaining excuses that will lead to delaying the salaries of civil servants,” read a statement from the KRG. Baghdad has paid the salaries of the Kurdistan Region’s civil servants for the first five months of this year. The payroll details for June were not sent until late in the month. The KRG has failed to pay the salaries of its civil servants on time and in full for a decade due to a financial crisis that worsened when its oil exports were halted a year ago following a court ruling on a dispute between Iraq and Turkey over the Kurdistan Region’s independent oil sales. The KRG now relies on local income and its controversial federal budget share. The cash-strapped KRG repeatedly has accused Baghdad of not making regular payments of its share of federal funds. Last June, Iraq passed a three-year budget, of which the Kurdistan Region's share is 12.6 percent. Baghdad has claimed it has fully implemented its financial obligations to the KRG, including through loans to assist the Region in paying the salaries of its civil servants.
