Truck drivers protest against overcharging at Kirkuk checkpoints
According to the truck drivers, they are charged additional fees at checkpoints under various pretexts, including loading fees. These fees are not collected through formal means.
ERBIL (Kurdistan24)—Dozens of truck drivers have gathered on the main road between Daquq and Tuz Khurmatu to protest being overcharged and forced to pay extra taxes at Iraqi government checkpoints in Kirkuk province.
According to the truck drivers, they are charged additional fees at checkpoints under various pretexts, including loading fees. These fees are not collected through formal means.
One of the protesting drivers explained, “10,000 dinars are charged when the truck is weighed at a weigh station, but we also have to pay another 30,000 dinars. If this happens four times daily, we pay about 200,000 dinars daily. We want this problem solved and only 5,000 dinars to be charged for weighing without any additional surcharges because the fee is only 5,000 Iraqi dinars throughout Iraq.”
Another driver added, “I have to take my truck to the weigh station six times a day and pay extra. Where’s the justice in that? The distance to Daquq is only 40 kilometers. Can I pay these fees each time? The money charged from us is the income of our traders, and we do not know where it goes. Therefore, we call on Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani to meet our demand and end these charges because, in all other provinces of Iraq, only 5,000 dinars are charged without any additional fees.”
The truck drivers also mentioned that they had gone to the governor's office to convey their demands and resolve the issue, but none of the officials were available. They are now waiting for the authorities to address their concerns.
