Black Market: Algeria incomes hit 8.5 billion dollars

Black market incomes in Algeria are estimated at $8.5 billion and constitute 17 percent of Algerian productive families’ incomes and 13 percent of GDP out of hydrocarbons, a new study reveals.

• “The number of people working in the black market reached 3 million in 2007. They represent 35 percent of the workforce in Algeria,” said the study conducted by the Algerian Managers Forum (FCE).
• “A total of 18 percent of dentists, 16 percent of architectures, 15 percent of computer engineers, 14 percent of lawyers, 9 percent of accountants, 5 percent of teachers and 4 percent of doctors work in the black market,” it added.
• The Forum says commodity imports went up in 2001-2008 after the protection procedures of the Algerian market declined.
• “The imports from China, India, Brazil, Egypt, Turkey, Malaysia and Indonesia considerably increased as quality surveillance is difficult in those countries.
• The phenomenon of fake invoices of imported counterfeited goods increased as well. They include textile, leather, spare parts, electronic products, home appliances, perfumes, food, medicines and tobacco.
• According to the same study, non-billed service imports reached 20 percent of the total commodity and service imports.
• “Conditions are suitable for mafia networks and the emergence of immoral practices such as invoices manipulation and tax evasion.”