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Tunisia

The emergency economic tasks of a government of national salvation - Plan for a national financial mobilization

Friday 9 August 2013, by LGO

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In order to address the present economic and social conditions, it is necessary to combat the factors causing the financial hemorrhage of the state and to increase state resources, in order to make it possible for a government of national salvation to implement its programme, basing itself essentially on our own national capacities, and to reduce excessive dependence on global capital.

Tunisia

League of the Workers’ Left

The emergency plan for national financial mobilization, demanded by the League of the Workers’ Left (LGO) in the framework of the Popular Front and of a government of national salvation, is based on the following principles and procedures:

1 – Confront the question of external financial hemorrhage, including in particular :

• Debt: suspension of reimbursement of external debt for a period long enough to conduct a review before taking a sovereign national decision on its cancellation...

• The privileges of foreign capital, which are harmful and contrary to the national interest, are embodied in different types of tax exemptions that are colonial in nature, including:

• Cancellation of exemptions from import VAT that are granted to foreign companies...

• Cancellation of exemptions from taxes on profits of foreign companies...

2 - Tax Justice.
• Fair taxation of all Tunisians requires a tax on fortunes and revenues that is proportional to the sums involved. And in order to achieve tax justice and an increase in state resources, and to be able to strengthen the independence of the state vis-à-vis international financial circles, it is the duty of a government of national salvation to take the following budget measures:
• Introduction of a tax on large fortunes ...
• Extension of the qualifying threshold for the flat-rate scheme and expansion of its base, in anticipation of its radical revision...

3 - Confront the system of corruption and financial crime which flourished under the dictatorial regime and continued after the revolution, by :

• Combating all forms of capital flight from Tunisia, whose value, under the reign of the ousted President, amounted to 54,000 billion millimes ...

• A national campaign to recover the sums owed to the National Treasury, resulting from the activity that is most harmful to public finances, namely tax evasion; and control of tax collection: to do this 1,000 new tax workers must be recruited.. .

• An audit of all concessionary contracts for the exploitation of oil and natural gas that have been awarded to foreign companies; these contracts must be examined in order to recover the serious lack of revenue due to the Treasury ...

• An audit of all operations of privatization carried out since 1987 and the taking of appropriate measures, including confiscation and nationalization ...

• Submit state officials and the way the state works to a strict austerity plan, and make the positions of the President and the members of the government of national salvation unpaid and without any financial privileges ...

4 – Mobilize a campaign of national financial solidarity to support the efforts of the government of national salvation, in order to enable it to implement its emergency programme:

• A national campaign to collect solidarity funds from all Tunisians, including those living abroad ...

• A voluntary solidarity contribution from workers, representing one day’s pay, for six months ...

• The emission of bonds through a national public appeal, in order to fund the programmes of the popular government without incurring external debt ...

Tunis, August 3, 2013