How much will $15 billion IMF loan really cost Iraq?
The International Monetary Fund's loan to the Iraqi government may come with too many strings attached.
BAGHDAD — On May 19, Iraq signed an agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for a loan for as much as $15 billion over the next three years. Observers are wondering how Iraq will be able to repay the loan and meet the conditions imposed by creditors, which include various countries and the World Bank. One such condition is that Iraq must lift its oil and food subsidies.
The Iraqi Ministry of Finance said the IMF Stand-By Arrangement (SBA) will help Iraq in its battle against the Islamic State (IS) to liberate Iraqi territory, while also helping cut the budget deficit, which is projected at $25 billion, a figure that could worsen because of lower oil prices. The ministry said the loan will not affect government spending on social and health services, but rather it will bring about real financial and economic reform.
Iraq's previous experience with the IMF doesn't encourage optimism. In 2004, the IMF imposed an economic reform package that required Iraq to privatize some sectors and raise fuel prices in exchange for reducing and rescheduling the country's Paris Club debt, estimated at $50 billion. Iraq failed to meet those conditions.
Sirhan Ahmed, a member of the parliamentary finance committee, told Al-Monitor the new IMF loan will only make things worse in the long run.
