An independent Kurdish politician has claimed that a senior official was removed after speaking out about tax revenue issues in the region.
Saman Ali said that Zanyar Mohammed, the Director General of Taxes in the Kurdistan Region, lost his job after he talked to the media. According to Ali, Mohammed revealed that the region collects about 800 billion dinars in taxes each month.
But Ali claims that reports sent to Baghdad only showed 220 billion dinars.
He alleged that around 580 billion dinars from border tax revenues were not properly reported, accusing the regional government of changing the numbers before sending them.
Ali said Mohammed was dismissed after exposing what he described as serious financial manipulation.
He also claimed that the government has now told officials not to speak to the media about these issues. Instead, only specific figures close to the leadership are allowed to make statements.
These claims have not been independently confirmed.
