Iraqi Residents Protest Rising Prices in the Wake of New Customs Tariffs

JAKARTA - A mass of traders and international logistics companies protested in Baghdad against the Iraqi government's new policy regarding customs tariffs.

Demonstrators gathered outside the Directorate General of Customs, Baghdad on Sunday, February 9, chanting anti-corruption slogans and rejecting the new customs tariff.

The demonstrators said the new tariffs, which rose by up to 30 percent on some items, had hit them hard. They said the Iraqi government had been unfair.

"We used to pay around 3 million dinars per container, but now in some cases they ask for up to 14 million," said Haider Al-Safi, owner of a transport and logistics company who took part in the demonstration, quoted by AP.

"Even the price of baby milk has risen from around 495,000 dinars to almost 3 million dinars," he continued.

The new customs tariff in Iraq came into force on January 1, 2026. The government intends to apply it to reduce the country's debt and dependence on oil revenues due to falling oil prices.

Iraq faces debts of more than 90 trillion Iraqi dinars or about USD69 billion - and a state budget that remains dependent on oil for about 90 percent of revenue. On the one hand, there are diversification efforts.

A lawsuit related to the implementation of this policy has also been brought to court with a verdict scheduled to be announced by the Iraqi Federal Supreme Court on Wednesday this week.