Tunisia’s controversial Article 55 of the 2026 Finance Bill — popularly marketed as the “car for every family” measure — continues to fuel public debate. Despite its approval, prominent economist Ridha Chkoundali argues that the mechanism designed to allow families to acquire a customs-exempt vehicle is technically, financially and legally impossible to implement.
According to Chkoundali, the article promises an advantage that the state cannot realistically deliver, turning the measure into what he calls a legislative illusion.
A flawed mechanism based on “donations” from Tunisians abroad
One of the proposed channels for obtaining a tax-exempt vehicle is through a “gift” from Tunisians living abroad. But Chkoundali stresses that this mechanism collapses immediately when confronted with financial regulations.
To qualify, a Tunisian resident in Europe — for instance — would have to pay the car’s price in foreign currency, while the beneficiary reimburses him in Tunisian dinars.
This process amounts to an illegal currency exchange operation outside the Central Bank’s official system.
Furthermore, for any car import to be recognized officially, it must be accompanied by an equivalent outflow of foreign currency from the Central Bank — which does not happen in this scenario. As a result, the operation falls into the category of parallel economy, cannot be registered as an import, and fuels risks of fraud, since the vehicle must be purchased abroad under the donor’s name before being transferred to a Tunisian family.
Tourist allowance: unusable and insufficient
The second option — using the tourist foreign-exchange allowance — is equally unrealistic.
Its value is far too low to finance a car purchase, and access to the allowance requires obtaining a visa, a step that many eligible families simply cannot meet.
In practice, Chkoundali notes, this channel remains purely theoretical and fails to provide any viable solution.
Currency exchange authorization: blocked by foreign-reserve constraints
The third mechanism, obtaining a foreign-currency conversion authorization from the Central Bank, depends entirely on Tunisia’s foreign-exchange reserves.
According to Chkoundali, the Bank cannot allow its reserves to fall below the equivalent of 90 days of imports, given its pressing obligations:
- repayment of external debt,
- financing essential imports (food, medicine, raw materials),
- maintaining macroeconomic stability.
Under such constraints, allocating foreign currency for private car imports is simply impossible.
A promise that cannot be delivered
Given these structural, legal and financial obstacles, Chkoundali concludes that Article 55 is fundamentally inapplicable.
He warns that the state should refrain from “selling illusions” to citizens by offering privileges that the economic reality cannot sustain.
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