BARDO - The National Constituent Assembly (NCA) adopted, on Sunday, the complementary finance law for 2013, which came to rectify the initial finance law, due to "the pressure of the transitory period and the world economic situation", according to the government statements.
After the Saturday debate, 91 deputies voted for this draft law, with four votes against and 15 abstentions.
Article 16 was added to the draft law, at the request of the Finance Minister, which recommends that the finance law will come into effect directly after its publication in the Official Gazette without expecting a period of 5 days, scheduled by the organic law of the budget so as to speed up some financial operations before the end of the year.
The proposal related to the implementation since its promulgation by the President of the Republic, was not retained to avoid appeal to the administrative court.
The complementary finance law increased the state budget from 26, 792 million Tunisian dinars (MTD) to 27,481 MTD, by resorting notably, to the remaining revenues from the sale of "Tunisie Telecom", estimated at 1,000 MTD and revised the drop of the growth rate expected from 4.5% to 3.6%.
The management expenses are estimated at 17,758.7 MTD and the development expenses at only 4,098 MTD. This law includes measures aimed to support the ailing public banks (STB, BH and BNA), which need an urgent funding of 500 MTD to carry on their activities enjoyed by 70% of the Tunisian companies.
The complementary finance law predicts additional provisions related, notably, to the regularisation of the situation of the beneficiaries of the general amnesty vis-à-vis the social funds and the compensation of forces of interior security, army and customs, victims of terrorism.
It recommended the implementation of a levy on tourist nights from 1 to 3 dinars according to the categories of the hotels, to support the Competitiveness Development Fund in the tourism sector, as of October 1, 2014.
© Tunis-Afrique Presse 2013
