A peddler arranges clothes at the Sarj Khaneh market in Mosul as the country eases restrictions put in place for the coronavirus pandemic. (Zaid Al-Obeidi/AFP/Getty Images) According to government officials, the debate surrounding salary cuts centers on whose pay to slash and by how much. The salaries of public sector workers are usually supplemented by additional payments, compensating an individual for travel or for family expenses. In 2005, these payments stood at $3.8 billion, according to a study by the . Today, they hover around $36 billion.