Algeria has announced that it will exempt low-earning workers from income taxes in a government plan that is new President, Abdelmadjid Tebboune’s latest response to almost a year of mass protests in the country.
The programme, passed yesterday by parliament, also repeats long-promised initiatives, including the development of large-scale renewable power projects enabling the country to export more of its gas as well as allowing local financial firms to issue Islamic bonds.
One of the most explicit pledges is to exempt Algerians earning less than 30,000 dinars which is $249 a month, from income tax. Another section promises to boost tourism by reworking the country’s complicated visa system and encourage charter flights.
Tebboune, who was elected in December last year in a sparsely attended vote, has vowed to turn around an economy that is struggling with lower oil prices and a youthful population hungry for change.
