Committees' recent meetings - 20 February 2020

A summary of Kurdistan Parliament committees' recent meetings and activities:

Culture Committee

18 February - The committee, led by the chair Ms. Salma Fatih (PUK), discussed journalists who have worked for government or public organisations, and how their years of journalism work should be counted towards their total years of service.

The MPs decided to meet with the Finance and Economic Affairs Ministry soon to ask them to implement the laws in force, and to cancel the instruction to count their years of journalism work only towards their pension entitlement but not towards other entitlements.

On another matter, the committee will ask the towns’ and cities’ culture directorates, which are part of the Culture Ministry, to give written reports on their work and activities.

Legislative Committee

18 February – The committee, led by the chair Mr. Bizhar Kocher (KDP), discussed how company taxes and fees are collected. The MPs and advisers discussed corporate tax collection and decided to continue looking further into the issue.

They stressed that the tax and tax collection systems must be organized so that they contribute to Kurdistan’s investment budget and economic development.

They also emphasized that the Government should not issue policies or instructions on taxation that deter companies and lead to capital flight to other countries.