Algeria Responds By Imposing A Taxation On The Tunisian Vehicles

Algerian authorities decided to apply the principle of reciprocity with the Tunisian counterpart, as it launched the procedures of imposing a tax on Tunisian cars that wish to enter the Algerian territory.

Announcement of the decision came on the lips of the State, Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Minister, Ramtane Lamamra, who said: “We decided to start procedures for the application of the tax of reciprocity.”

Lamamra was keen, in his reply to a written question that was asked by a MP from the Front of Justice and Development, Lakhdar Ben Khellaf, who confirms that the action that was taken by the Tunisian authorities about the application of a similar tax with the value of 30 TND, is now applied on all foreign nationals who visit Tunisia through land or marine ports, and thus it is not discriminatory.

Foreign Affairs Minister added in his response: “As it comes to a neighbouring country with which we have a special relationship, we decided to start the procedures for the application of the tax of reciprocity, with keeping the door open to continue consultations with the brotherly Tunisian authorities in order to cancel this tax.”

Algeria’s diplomatic representative asserted that a 30 TND tax was developed under the Tunisian Complementary Finance Act of 2014, which was approved on March 7, 2015, which means that it is not an improvised decision by the Tunisian authorities, but a codified one, and it does not target the Algerians only.

Algerians did not accept the imposition of tax on their cars, and asked the Tunisian authorities to give them exception because they represent Tunisia’s largest number of visitors for the purpose of tourism, trade, and even treatment.

Imposition of 30 TND tax took a turning point when dozens of Algerians protested last July against the resolution, which they described as unfair, and the y reaches closed the land border between the two countries, including the border center of Ras Layoun, in the Municipality of Ain Zergua, in Tebessa (Eastern Algeria), and prevented Tunisians to enter Algeria, calling upon the Algerian authorities to apply the principle of reciprocity.

Algerian protesters felt that it is unreasonable that the Algerians pay millions per week, in order to visit the family and relatives in Tunisia. 

Algerian authorities intervened at the time to absorb the anger of Algerians during the conduct of a number of consultations with the Tunisian government to abolish the tax, it but did not succeed in this, so it decided to impose a tax on the Tunisian vehicles as well, waiting for Algeria’s declaration of the date of its application, ans its value as well.