Former Customs General and Current Customs Expert Fethi Aloui Highlights Tax Advantage for El Fouledh
During a conference on the 2025 Finance Law organized by Deloitte on Friday, January 10, former Customs General and current customs expert Fethi Aloui discussed a tax advantage granted to El Fouledh, a Tunisian steel manufacturing company.
Boosting Competitiveness
Aloui announced that Article 61 of the 2025 Finance Law aims to strengthen the competitiveness of El Fouledh, which is facing significant financial difficulties and imbalances. This provision benefits not only El Fouledh but also other companies that are entirely export-oriented and import large quantities of equipment.
The Problem of Obsolete Equipment
After years of use, this equipment becomes obsolete and turns into scrap metal, making it impossible for companies to export or destroy it. To address this issue, the 2025 Finance Law proposes that companies can donate their metal waste or scrap metal to El Fouledh free of charge, without paying duties or taxes.
Imported Equipment with Tax Benefits
It is worth noting that this equipment was imported with tax benefits. However, these duties will be exempted once companies choose to dispose of it free of charge for the benefit of El Fouledh.
Two Unanswered Questions
Two questions were raised regarding this tax advantage granted to El Fouledh:
- Why this privilege for the state-owned company only? Why should El Fouledh, a state-owned company, receive this privilege when it has private competitors in the same sector who will be disadvantaged by this favoritism?
- Does El Fouledh have the logistical means to transport the massive quantities of scrap metal it may receive, or will it need to subcontract to other companies?
Unfortunately, these questions remained unanswered.
