Taif Sami, Minister of Finance, stated on Saturday that there is no agreement between the Federal Border Ports Authority and the Kurdistan Region on harmonizing customs duty prices.
Sami was speaking at an event held by the Iraqi Parliament’s Parliamentary Finance Committee, which was attended by a Shafaq News Agency journalist.
According to Sami, “there is no agreement in customs between the federal border crossings and the Kurdistan Region, given that customs duties in the region are lower than in other ports in Iraq, and the best example of this is the entry of cigarettes through the region,” she claimed.
She emphasized that “Al-Safra’s control must be restored, not just in one location, but in multiple locations, while customs duties are reduced to limit smuggling operations.”
The Minister stated her willingness to execute the language of the country’s financial budget legislation, and for 50% of the earnings from legal border crossings to be distributed to governorates in the Kurdistan area, noting that the area has five irregular border crossings.
