ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — Kurdish MPs have called five checkpoints in the Kurdistan Region “illegal,” claiming they were established by high ranking political party officials to skim money. The finance committee in parliament through an official letter has asked the government and the parliament to put an end to the practice. "These are the powerful individuals within KDP, PUK, and Gorran. It is not the parties themselves doing this,” Izzat Sabir, a PUK MP and the head of the finance committee in the KRG’s parliament, told Rudaw. Sabir condemned the action and calling it directly-imposed taxation. The checkpoints named were: - Hassan Sham, near the Khazir Bridge (Erbil) - Taq Taq-Shwan, between Taq Taq and Shwan sub-district near the Shiwa Sur Bridge (Erbil) - Debaga, on the Sargaran road (Erbil) - Tasluja (Sulaimani) - Fishkhabur, on the border with Syria (Dohuk) The amounts vary from checkpoint to checkpoint, but generally oil tankers get charged $1,000, a truck carrying iron scraps from Mosul gets charged $400 while each ton of foodstuffs or goods is charged $25. "After the loss of Kirkuk and its oil fields, the interests of some officials, some groups and some individuals in the Region changed, they have resorted to establishing illegal checkpoints, illegal companies, illegally charging heavy trucks and drivers in most of areas of the KRG [administration],” claimed Sabir. In places, the money is taken under the pretext of insurance, while in other places it is taken as “Help for Peshmerga.” The ministry denies that these checkpoints are those of the Peshmerga. "The Ministry of Peshmerga is not aware of what is done under the name of the Peshmerga. We deny this being done under the order of the Ministry of Peshmerga,” its media office, Halgurd Hikmat, told Rudaw. Izzat Sabir explained when MPs on behalf of the finance committee went to the checkpoints, the individuals there told us to go to speak to their supervisors on the fronts. One driver at Taq Taq Bridge, who wanted to remain anonymous, told Rudaw that he has been shot before by "thieves,” but security forces told him they cannot detain them. He claimed the thieves at Taq Taq are about 500 meters from the legal checkpoint manned by Peshmerga and Asayesh. They operate from 12 a.m. to 3 a.m., adding that they steal money, smartphones, and other things telling the drivers to remain silent. "It is not known into whose pockets this money goes. We have spoken with the customs directorate of the Region. They say this money does not go into the government's accounts,” Sabir told Rudaw. He posited that the rise in prices in the Kurdistan Region and elsewhere is related to drivers being charged illegally, burdening consumers. "We are tanker drivers. Every time they charge us 15,000 dinars [about $13]. I work for 30,000 from Kirkuk to Erbil. How is it fair that I get charged 15,000?" Hawre Mohammed, a driver, told Rudaw. "At times they keep us [at checkpoints] for two or three hours. They say we have to pay even if we do not have money," Mohammed Qadir, another driver, told Rudaw. The finance committee has asked the government and the parliament in an official letter to put an end to this practice.
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