Governement to increase taxes on unclean fuels

The energy and mines minister Chakib Khellil indicated that the next financial law will discuss a tax increase on fuels and cars’ vignettes using fuels. The project will be submitted by the energy and mines ministry to the government for approval.

• The ministry will, in return, suggest a tax decrease on clean gazes including natural, liquefied and non-liquefied ones. This aims, according to the minister, at reducing the country’s importation’s bill of this product estimated at some USD 200 millions a year.
• Talking on a French radio program, M Khellil, emphasized that this strategy will incite the Algerian consumers to turn towards environment- friendly cars and by extension reduce their fuel consumption that raised drastically over the last few years for economic reasons.
• Creation of the first Atomic Energy Agency in Algeria by 2020:
• On the other hand, he revealed that a project is now put on the agenda of different ministries for discussion pending its presentation to the government then to the parliament for a final approval.
• This project deals with the creation of a “Safety Atomic Energy Agency” reporting to the government whose main task will consist in monitoring and controlling the use of the Atomic Energy and the creation of a company for developing researches in the Atomic Energy field.
• He went on saying that Algeria is looking forward to building its first Atomic plants for commercial purposes by 2020 adding that it will create one Atomic plant each five years afterwards.
• He minister added agreements have been sealed in the Atomic energy field with China, France, Argentina and the US, while negotiations started with Russia and South Africa to reach an accord on cooperation in this domain.
• I do not see any problem concerning our cooperation with the Russian giant “GAZPPROM”:
• M Khellil also declared that the period 2007-2008 was the best one in terms of incomes for Algeria, revealing that the country’s treasury  garnered some USD 76 billions in comparison to USD 60 billions in 2007.
• As to the Algerian cooperation with the Russian giant “GAZPROM”, M Khellil said that the Algerian oil company “Sonatrach” doesn’t have any cooperation with the Russian one, but there is a forum for gas exporting countries in witch both companies are members. He added that “Gazprom” started operating in Algeria mentioning that both countries counts among the biggest gas providers for Europe.