mniraq - The Federal Integrity Commission revealed on Wednesday (September 9, 2026) that more than 41,000 taxpayers failed to pay the fees owed to the Baghdad Municipality during 2025, calling for the adoption of electronic and legal mechanisms to enhance fee collection and increase municipal revenues.
The commission stated in a report prepared after conducting field visits to a number of departments and municipalities of the Baghdad Municipality, that some municipalities achieved revenues exceeding 37 billion dinars during the past year, which is above the planned amount.
It added that it called on the Baghdad Municipality to establish a unified mechanism for collecting debts arising from profession fees, advertising fees, and waste removal costs, to comply with the procedures stipulated in the Government Debt Collection Law, and not to resort to illegal measures such as sealing shops or placing concrete blocks.
It explained that it proposed establishing a unified electronic platform that allows taxpayers to inquire about the fees and debts owed by them and the amounts paid, pointing to the lack of clarity in the bases for calculating some fees and citizens' weak knowledge of the amounts due on them.
The commission affirmed that it recommended intensifying media campaigns to introduce fee regulations and the possibility of installment payments, along with periodically reviewing fee estimates in a manner that takes into account the economic situation, achieves fairness, and encourages compliance with payment, in addition to not granting or renewing licenses for a number of sectors and professions, including tourism, hotels, banks, exchange companies, hospitals, private clinics, goldsmith shops and workshops, fuel stations, and generators, except after submitting a clearance certificate from the Baghdad Municipality departments.
It indicated that work is still ongoing with the profession and business estimates adopted by the Baghdad Municipality since 2018, calling for updating them in line with economic changes and maximizing the state's resources.
