The budget allocated to commodity subsidies is expected to decline by 33.1% in 2023, to 2523 million dinars, from 3771 million dinars in 2022, according to the state economic budget for 2023.
This budget was developed on the basis of a growth rate of 1.8% and an average price of a barrel of oil of 89 dollars (against 75 dollars in the budget of 2022), Minister of Finance, Sihem Namssia said at a press conference dedicated to the presentation of measures provided for in the budget law 2023, held Monday at the City of Culture in Tunis.
The development of the budget has also taken into account the assumption of the implementation of economic reforms to control public finances and the signing of an agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
The 2023 budget also provides for a 25.7% decrease in subsidy spending on fuel, reaching 5669 million dinars against 7628 million dinars in 2022.
In this budget, the government plans an overhaul of the subsidy system of commodities so as to direct it to its beneficiaries among low- and middle-income households, “while preserving the purchasing power of Tunisians.
In this context, it will, over the next four years, gradually regulated commodity prices and launch an open digital platform where Tunisians can register for subsidies.
As for the system of energy subsidies, it will also be reformed with a planned gradual transition to real rates of hydrocarbons while preserving the role of the Tunisian Company of refining industries in the supply.
The prices of electricity and gas should also know a regulation, while taking into consideration the living conditions of the poor categories.
