Tunisia raises petrol prices by 6.7 pct to trim budget gap

Tunisia’s government on Sunday cut fuel raising petrol prices by 6.7 percent in an effort to trim its budget deficit.
The measure is in line with one of the key reforms demanded by the International Monetary Fund.

Tunisia expects its budget deficit for 2017 to widen to 5.9 percent from a previously expected 5.4 percent because of higher fuel costs and the fall in the local currency dinar value.

Authorities on Sunday lifted the price of lead-free petrol to 1.750 dinars ($0.726) a from 1.650. The last increase in fuel prices was in 2014.

The IMF released last month a $320-million delayed tranche of Tunisia’s IMF loan after the government agreed to speed up economic reforms.

Meanwhile, thousands of people have protested in the city of Gabès () against the environmental pollution caused by the discharged into the sea through the processing plants of phosphate.

According to expert, Chronic diseases such as cancer and asthma have made their appearance within the population of (150,000 inhabitants) of Gabès as a result of the pollution.