Nobakht: The Budget Bill for 2016 Will Be Submitted to Parliament After the Implementation of the JCPOA

Mohammad Baqer Nobakht, the government spokesman, in response to criticisms regarding the delay in presenting the budget bill for 2016 to Parliament, stated that the bill is ready but the government will likely submit it after the implementation of the nuclear agreement (JCPOA). According to Mehr News Agency, Mr. Nobakht said on Tuesday, January 22, during a press conference in Tehran regarding the reason for the delay in presenting the budget bill to Parliament: "For reasons that will be politically feasible for us to express in the coming days, we have not submitted the program and budget to the esteemed Parliament." Hassan Rouhani and officials from Iran's Atomic Energy Organization have announced the start of the implementation of the Vienna nuclear agreement and the lifting of Iran's banking sanctions in the coming days. According to parliamentary regulations, the government is required to submit the annual budget bill by December 6 to allow representatives to review and approve it before the end of the year. Delays in presenting the budget bill during Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's presidency often led to criticisms from his opponents. The spokesman for Hassan Rouhani's government stated that the government will likely submit the budget after the implementation of the JCPOA and added that if the bill and program are sent to Parliament next week, i.e., January 27, it can still be reviewed. At the same time as Mr. Nobakht's remarks, Iranian news agencies reported that 13 economist representatives in a letter to Hassan Rouhani expressed concern that due to the delay in presenting the budget bill, Parliament would not have the opportunity to review and approve it before the end of the year. Ahmad Tavakoli, Hamid Reza Fooladgar, Gholamreza Tajgardoon, and Gholamreza Mesbahi Moghadam are among the signatories of this letter. The signatories have requested the government to present a "three-twelfths budget" to Parliament. The three-twelfths budget means presenting the budget for three months of the year to Parliament for approval to allow the government to manage affairs until the annual budget is approved. Parliament will approve this three-month budget based on the current year's approved budget. Mohammad Baqer Nobakht regarding the representatives' request for a "three-twelfths budget" said the government has fulfilled its duty according to parliamentary regulations, and the budget bill and the sixth development plan are printed and ready, but "for reasons he cannot currently disclose, it has not been submitted to Parliament." The spokesman for the eleventh government emphasized that therefore, presenting a "three-twelfths budget" is not necessary, and whenever the government submits the bill, representatives will have 31 days to review and bring it to the floor according to the law. Regarding the budget approach for the upcoming year, Nobakht described it as "growth and justice" and stated that the government has tried to distribute this budget fairly, with "one part related to personnel payments and another related to regional balance." He added that the government must invest financially and allocate a budget for the "knowledge-based" economy in line with the policies of "resistance economy." This government official of Hassan Rouhani emphasized: "The highest amount ever invested by the government in Iran's economy is allocated for 2016, which is 201 trillion tomans, to be directly invested in infrastructure projects and the acquisition of government capital assets." Regarding whether the government has prepared an expansive budget anticipating conditions after the lifting of sanctions, he said: "The budget space for 2016 and the sixth development plan is not the current constrained space; therefore, the budget is not contractionary." The government spokesman also addressed how the government will secure its financial resources given the declining oil prices and the forecast of selling each barrel of oil at 35 to 40 dollars in the next year's budget, stating: "Our budgeting is flexible and we manage this issue with a flexible allocation and budgeting mechanism."