Shafaq News- Baghdad

Iraq’s Council of Ministers exempted imported food products and medicines from customs duties, effective October 7, the Prime Minister’s Media Office said on Tuesday.

During a cabinet session chaired by Prime Minister Ali Al-Zaidi, the government also approved a draft law to transfer ownership of land allocated for housing projects to the Housing Department and referred it to parliament, aiming to speed up housing projects.

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The cabinet amended two previous decisions governing payments for investment projects financed through loans and grants. The changes cover fully funded projects, projects with secured financing under applicable laws and agreements, projects under the Iraq-China Framework Agreement, fully funded contracts and funds held in trust by implementation units in ministries, government entities, governorates and other public bodies, including projects covered by the Emergency Support Law for Food Security and Development.

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