VenturesNow

Tunisian Labour Union, UGTT criticises IMF bailout conditions

Published

2 years ago

May 2, 2023

Tunisia’s General Labour Union (UGTT) has raised concerns over proposed financial bailout by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for the country.

UGTT president, Noureddine Taboubi, in his May Day speech at Sfax, criticised what he described as “an IMF government” as protesters chanted “No to colonization.”

Although the Tunisian government in a bid to secure the deal had announced plans to remove subsidies on fuel products, President Saied has refused to restructure public bodies and lift subsidies on other basic goods as part of requirements by the international lenders, and the labour union approves of the approach.

“We back the position of the president”, Kais Saied, who last month rejected what he called IMF “diktats” for Tunisia to be granted the loan, Taboubi said.

Taboubi said that the president had “associated himself” with the UGTT, an organization that is opposed to selling off publicly traded enterprises and ending subsidies.

“This makes us wonder whether there is any value in the government negotiating with the IMF,” he said.

The IMF’s bailout requirements, according to Taboubi, would “impoverish the Tunisian people even more” in a nation where unemployment is over 15% and inflation is already over 10%.

The IMF, the United States, and other international donors stopped the bailout talks and demanded reforms from President Saied to free up the market.

Meanwhile, Italy expressed worry last month that IMF’s block on a $1.9 billion loan to Tunisia might lead to a new wave of migrants towards Europe.

VenturesNow

IMF, Egypt reach agreement for fourth review of Egypt’s $1.2 billion loan request

Published

1 day ago

December 26, 2024

Ifeoluwa Dada

Egypt and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) have reached a staff-level agreement over the fourth review of the Extended Fund Facility arrangement, which might lead to a $1.2 billion payout under the program.

In March, Egypt, struggling with rising inflation and cash shortages, consented to the $8 billion, 46-month facility. Its economic problems were made worse by a precipitous drop in Suez Canal revenue over the last year due to regional tensions.

Over the next two years, Egypt’s government has committed to raising its tax-to-revenue ratio by 2% of GDP, according to the IMF, emphasising removing exemptions rather than raising taxes.

According to a statement from the IMF, this would allow it to expand social expenditure to support vulnerable populations.

“While the authorities’ plans to streamline and simplify the tax system are commendable, further reforms will be needed to enhance domestic revenue mobilization efforts,” the statement said.

According to the IMF statement, Egypt had also committed to maintaining its commitment to a flexible currency rate and to taking more urgent action to guarantee that the private sector became the primary driver of development.

The IMF’s executive board still has to accept the fourth review’s staff-level agreement.

VenturesNow

Libya’s eastern govt accepts petrol subsidy elimination

Published

1 day ago

December 26, 2024

Ifeoluwa Dada

In a recent statement, the eastern government of Libya claimed it had reached a consensus on a plan to eliminate gasoline subsidies and would draft a mechanism to carry out the accord.

Additional information on the idea was not released by the administration led by Osama Hamad, a challenger to the internationally acknowledged Tripoli-based government.

However, it is uncertain if Hamad’s government would be able to carry out the plan in the divided nation.

According to the Global Petrol Prices online tracker, a litre of gasoline costs just 0.150 Libyan dinars ($0.03) in OPEC member Libya, making it the second-cheapest in the world.

Following an uprising against former ruler Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, smuggling networks have thrived in the ensuing political unrest and armed fighting. In 2014, conflicting eastern and western governments separated the nation.

A World Bank analysis estimates that the annual value of fuel smuggling from Libya is at least $5 billion.

In a meeting with Mari Barrasi, the deputy governor of the Central Bank of Libya (CBL), located in Tripoli, and four members of the bank’s board of directors, Hamad in Benghazi supported the idea of removing subsidies.

The CBL’s Benghazi branch offices served as the venue for the conference.

The eastern parliament appointed Hamad in 2023 to succeed Abdulhamid Dbeibah, who had been put in position in 2021 under a U.N.-backed procedure that the parliament said had lost its legitimacy.

Dbeibah, who is located in Tripoli, stated in January that he will conduct a public poll on the topic of eliminating gasoline subsidies, but he hasn’t done anything about it since.

According to CBL figures, gasoline subsidies cost 12.8 billion Libyan dinars between January and November of this year. 4.8 Libyan dinars to $1 is the official exchange rate.