Tunisia’s President Kais Saied on Thursday proposed taxing the North African country’s wealthiest citizens as a way of avoiding what he has called the “diktats” of the International Monetary Fund. Saied said during a meeting with Prime Minister Najla Bouden that the current subsidy system benefits all Tunisians, including the wealthy, a presidency statement said. He said he believed such a mechanism would mean the country would not have to bow down to “foreign diktats”. The IMF has called for legislation to restructure more than 100 state-owned firms, which hold monopolies over many parts of the economy and in many cases are heavily indebted. The country is going through a financial crisis marked by chronic shortages of basic food products.

Source: The North Africa Journal June 02, 2023 02:51 UTC