WORKING-CLASS OPINIONS AND COMMENTS IN TUNISIA

UNCLAS TUNIS 000635 SIPDIS SIPDIS STATE FOR EB, NEA/MAG (LAWRENCE,) NEA/PPR AND EB/CBA, STATE PLEASE PASS USTR (BELL),USDOC FOR CLDP (TEJTEL) AND ITA/MAC/ONE (TCHERGUR) E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ECON EFIN EPET TS SUBJECT: WORKING-CLASS OPINIONS AND COMMENTS IN TUNISIA (PART 2 OF 3): FUEL PRICES, INFLATION, FINANCING MECHANISMS AND CREDIT REF: A. REF A: TUNIS 357 ¶B. REF B: 05 TUNIS 2409 ¶1. SUMMARY: Throughout 2005 and early 2006, Tunisians have complained about rising price levels. Everything from olive oil, to gasoline, to automobile insurance has seen price increases in recent months, and there is a rise in official and actual inflation. Middle-class to lower-income Tunisians admit to a growing reliance on credit to fund regular expenses. The incidences of speculation on and personal experiences with a more developed economy are also increasing. END SUMMARY. Fuels Prices, Heating for Homes and the General Price Level -------------- -------------- ¶2. Gasoline in Tunisia is currently 1.00TD per liter, (approximately .75 USD) which is a sizable increase from one year ago, when gas was .70TD-.80TD per liter. Over the year, there were four increases in gas prices, representing a 25-30 percent annual increase. The general buzz is that everyone is expecting another increase in gasoline prices, which would put the speculated price in the 1.20TD range in the near future. ¶3. Meanwhile, heating costs for homes have remained stable over the winter, or gone up only slightly. Heating methods vary and include electric heating; steam-heated radiator systems; natural gas; blue gas, which is liquid fuel in a portable gas burner; and the traditional charcoal pot. Only about 10 percent of the population continues to use a charcoal pot in the house, which has an open flame and is clearly more dangerous. Nowadays, charcoal pots are found mostly in rural areas, or as novelty items in the city for people who want to have them for sentimental reasons. However, one lower-income woman told Commoff she still heats her home with a charcoal pot to control heating costs. The majority of working class Tunisians interviewed use blue gas. ¶4. In addition to rising fuel costs, overall inflation has risen as well. Even during good harvest years, like 2005, consumers have not seen the expected price decrease on locally-produced staple food items, such as olives, oils, vegetables and fruits (Ref B). With local concerns about avian influenza causing a 40 percent decline in retail sales of poultry this spring, the demand for meat and fish has risen, and so have their prices. A local Coca-Cola official recently explained that the company does monthly computations of a representative consumer basket of goods. Over the course of the past year, it has noticed a general price increase of consumer goods of 16 percent. Car insurance rates are also rising; however, this rise may be compounded because of additional cars on the road, a situation that leads to more accidents. One woman's car insurance was 195TD five years ago; the same policy on the same car, five years older, is 300TD per year. ¶5. The official GOT figure for inflation in 2005 released by the Tunisian National Institute of Statistics (INS) is 3.9 percent. The IMF lists 2005 consumer prices in Tunisia as growing at 2.9 percent annually, with a predicted drop to 2.5 percent in 2006. Further, the IMF states that inflation is under control in Tunisia. (NB: This range of inflation is comparatively healthy for an emerging economy with a growth rate in the 5 percent range, and not actually a cause for alarm. These statistics provide a measurable example of Tunisia's evolution to an emerging economy.) Irrespective of price increases and inflation rates, so far, most of the people interviewed have managed to maintain their consumption levels. They may be complaining actively, but they have not yet started cutting consumption seriously. Borrowing -------------- ¶6. It's clear that people are spending more money on daily expenses, especially during Ramadan (Ref B),but where is the extra money coming from? Simply put, many people are borrowing money for consumption. They either take advances on their salaries or take out loans. Poorer people with no access to credit borrow money from family, friends, or colleagues. One woman said she loaned a colleague 50TD for Ramadan. She was told she would be paid back by the end of November, but she expected to see the money returned around the time of the Eid el Kebir, (January 20th this year). She was eventually repaid, but not until the end of January. ¶7. Many banks offer 500-1,000TD loans for Ramadan, for the Eid, or for family vacations. An air ticket to France can be bought with only 25 percent down, with the rest financed for weeks following the trip. A common phrase advertised in shops during the holidays was "buy now during Ramadan, pay after the Eid." For larger items, consumers might take up to five years to repay a loan. One man told us he financed his daughter's summer wedding with a 16,000TD five-year loan. This is a sizeable sum, considering that he is supporting a family of four (after the wedding) on a monthly income of 1,238TD. ¶8. People can finance the "Omra" and the Hajj, and even the traditional sheep for slaughter at the Eid al-Adha. This is an interesting development for a Muslim country, where religious practices dictate that charging or receiving interest is forbidden, but even so, the practice is quite common and growing. Saving and the Future -------------- ¶9. Another middle-class woman lamented that her family doesn't save money anymore--it spends it all on monthly bills and consumption. Their mortgage is 437TD per month. She complained that they used to make less money, yet saved more in the past. She is also worried, because this lack of flexibility in their budget leaves them unprotected from catastrophic, unplanned events. Two other interviewees suggested that increased consumption is an indicator that Tunisians have a shortage of places to invest their money, hence the propensity to spend for today. The low rate of saving led one interviewee to say that this situation is indicative of a lack of hope in the future, lack of general investment, and a lack of trust that any business could succeed. And, he added, with any serious success in an endeavor, one would surely encounter some form of negative intervention on the part of the GOT or the ruling business elites (Ref A). Loans and credit -------------- ¶10. Loans have become more widely used than in the past. The practice of taking out consumer loans started in Tunisia around 1990. At one time, the GOT offered (essentially) subsidized car loans to bring small, affordable automobiles to the Tunisian middle class. Then about four to five years ago, people began buying more fashionable new cars on credit, which bumped up the cost of loans. One woman bought a new car, and has a loan for 7,000TD. Her monthly salary is 1,238TD, her husband works, but they now have a baby at home. Through banks such as Banque Internationale Arabe de Tunisie (BIAT),Societe Tunisienne de Banque (STB) and others, Tunisians can get loans for big ticket items, such as cars, weddings, furniture and small appliances. However, getting a bank loan is directly related to age and becomes more difficult as you approach retirement. Banks become reluctant to grant loans from the age of 55 onwards. Thus, some finance their purchases by borrowing from family and friends. Interviewees say that the Tunisian rule of thumb is that it is acceptable to pay back a family loan in one to one-and-a-half years. ¶11. One man said that almost every family has at least one loan, either for a house, a car, furniture, or something else. Interestingly, two women who seemed to have the most need for additional income said they had no loans. Both are lower-income breadwinners with sizable families and make 487TD per month. One is a widow, and one has a husband who has only worked for three years since 1991. One of these women is putting a son through private school. The other woman, a widow, has two sick sons, aged 32 and 40, who are unable to work. Both women believe that the "younger generation" wants too much without working or waiting for it. The practice of "Taqseet" or installment payments -------------- -------------- ¶12. Local retailer Carrefour and banks both offer "les traites," which are installment payment coupons. These must be stamped by a bank or notarized to be accepted. For example, to buy a TV, each month the customer pays an agreed amount, such as 50TD. Every month s/he must take the coupon to the store and make the payment. When first considering the purchase, s/he goes to the store, agrees on the number of payments and price per payment with the merchant, and takes these coupons to the local municipality to get them notarized. The stamped coupons give the vendor the right to repossess the item, and the authority to collect on any outstanding debt, if necessary. Examples of where a consumer might use these coupons are not limited to the larger hypermarkets. Tunisians use them in local boutiques, and they are quite commonly used for furniture purchases. ¶13. At furniture chains, you can buy bedroom furniture with only 10-30 percent down, with the rest financed through installment payments. A typical bedroom set can cost in the range of 2,000-10,000TD. If you pay cash, you can get a 5-10 percent discount off your purchase. If you finance the purchase, you typically pay the retail price, plus anywhere from 5-30 percent in interest charges. ¶14. There are repercussions for people who don't pay back their loans. Vendors repossess items and resell them to recoup losses. Creditors can also take bad debtors to court to enforce payment, as long as the installment agreement was documented. Vendors may also put a lien on property. The local police maintain a list of bad debtors and routinely do spot checks at busy public places like Carrefour or bus stations to catch those who have tried to skip out on a debt. If a debtor on the list gets stopped by police, they can be taken to jail and held until a family member comes and pays the debt. The debtor spends the first night in jail, and next day, goes to court. In court, either someone comes and pays the debt, or the debtor goes back to jail until the outstanding loan is paid. ¶15. It is also not uncommon to see debtors who cannot pay for a financed item sell it off privately after they have used the item for a period, and then use sale proceeds to pay back the loan. Others sell goods immediately, after purchasing them on credit, as a creative financing mechanism. In fact, there is a well-known store where people buy new items on credit in the store for retail price, and sell these new goods out in the front yard of the store at a discount for cash. These impromptu vendors use this method as a desperate way to get a cash advance when they don't have a line of credit with a bank or family members. ¶16. One interviewee said "people are complaining that life is more expensive, but there is little action." Another said "People are complaining about high prices, but people are getting more these days and waiting less time to have it." It is certainly true that many people are indeed able to purchase more things, because of the ability to have them now with credit. ¶17. COMMENT: These everyday accounts are useful illustrations of the evolving economic problems many Tunisians face. While the development of the budding credit industry is a good, practical indication of Tunisia's economic and commercial progress, many families have become seriously indebted, causing financial stress for families, and bad loans are a major banking challenge that could slow Tunisia's economic development, if reform is not continued and pursued with discipline. END COMMENT. HUDSON