Tunisia To Reconsider The Taxation That Is Imposed On Algerians

Tunisian authorities announced the possibility of reconsidering the taxation that is levied on Algerians who leave its territory by land, which is estimated at 30 Tunisian dinars, the equivalent of 2,100 Algerian dinars, which angered residents of the border areas in the last period, and led them to protest in the border crossings of Tebessa and Oum Toboul in Taref (Eastern Algeria).

Tunisian Minister of Tourism, Salma Loumi, told France 24 television channel, on Friday, that Algerians pay 30 TND when they leave the country, and the tax exists since a period and it is imposed on all cars, but not particularly the Algerians’ cars, but on all the cars which leave the Tunisian territory.”

“A demand was lifted for the revision of the tax, which has angered Algerian travellers. We asked to reconsider it and we are in contact with Algerian authorities to find a solution, with the confirmation that the tax worth 30 dinars, about 11 Euros, and it is not a large sum, and we are in contact to find a solution to satisfy our brothers.”

Tunisian official spoke about the facilities that were developed in recent years, for the benefit of Algerian nationals at the border crossings, including the spaces of comfort and facilitating control procedures, and granting special offers compared to Western tourists.

“All these procedures where taken in order to satisfy the Algerian brothers”, referring to the large number of Algerians who visit Tunisia in order to save the tourist season in the country last year, after the terrorist attacks in the Bardo Museum in Tunis, and then the terrorist attack, which left 38 victims, most of them foreign tourists.”

Border crossings, noticed last week, especially in Tebessa and Oum Toboul in Taref, a protest movement by the citizens, for the rejection of the tax on cars that is imposed by the Tunisian authorities to cross the Tunisian soil, as the protesters demanded the intervention of the Algerian authorities to put an end to what they described as “blackmail”, which they face on the border by the Tunisian side, or to impose a similar tax on the Tunisia travellers, who roam in the Algerian territory, without any restrictions or obstacles.

Dozens of private transporters who are working on the line Annaba-Tunisia asked for abolishing the taxation that burdened their shoulders, especially because they visit Oum Toboul or El Ouyoun twice a day and are forced each time to pay the tax, which makes them face large financial losses, in addition to the bad treatment against them by some of the Tunisian cops. 

Protesters lifted a set of professional demands like the activation of the 1995 law, which was cancelled by the Algerian authorities and the organisation of the legal framework for the exercise of their activity and the abolition of the tax.