Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
08ALGIERS360
2008-03-26 16:07:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Embassy Algiers
how-toVZCZCXRO5264 RR RUEHTRO DE RUEHAS #0360 0861607 ZNR UUUUU ZZH R 261607Z MAR 08 FM AMEMBASSY ALGIERS TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 5546 INFO RUEHEG/AMEMBASSY CAIRO 1020 RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS 2639 RUEHMD/AMEMBASSY MADRID 8878 RUEHRB/AMEMBASSY RABAT 2262 RUEHTRO/AMEMBASSY TRIPOLI RUEHTU/AMEMBASSY TUNIS 7114 RUEHNK/AMEMBASSY NOUAKCHOTT 6308 RUEHNM/AMEMBASSY NIAMEY 1542 RUEHBP/AMEMBASSY BAMAKO 0491 RUEHCL/AMCONSUL CASABLANCA 3339 RHMFISS/HQ USEUCOM VAIHINGEN GE RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHDC RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHDC
UNCLAS ALGIERS 000360
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
STATE PASS TO EEB/IFD/OMA ASNOW AND RFIGUEROA, AND TO
NEA/RA JPALLARES AND JSCOVITCH
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: EAID ECON PREL AG
SUBJECT: ALGERIA'S FISCAL TRANSPARENCY
REF: STATE 16737
UNCLAS ALGIERS 000360
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
STATE PASS TO EEB/IFD/OMA ASNOW AND RFIGUEROA, AND TO
NEA/RA JPALLARES AND JSCOVITCH
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: EAID ECON PREL AG
SUBJECT: ALGERIA'S FISCAL TRANSPARENCY
REF: STATE 16737
1. In response to reftel, Post submits the following:
2. Algeria has made progress since 2003 regarding fiscal
transparency. Budget plans are unveiled each autumn for the
following calendar year, and the Finance Law is officially
published in the journal of record on December 31. A report
of the Finance Law, including policy narratives and
year-to-year comparisons, is available on the Ministry of
Finance Website, as is other fiscal data. In addition to the
annual Finance Law, Algeria frequently publishes a
Complementary Finance Law in July to supplement the budget.
3. Revenue and expenditure figures are made available
publicly through these publications, and are probably fairly
accurate. Separte budgets are released for salaries and for
public benefit pay-outs (such as veterans' pensions) at each
agency (Budget de Fonctionnement),and for broad categories
of capital investments and equipment costs (Budget
d'Equipement). Revenues are reflected in terms of "ordinary"
categories, such as taxes, customs and royalties, and in the
broad, larger category of petroleum receipts. Petroleum
receipts are still largely diverted to the Stabilizaton Fund
(FRR),which makes accounting for these revenues more complex.
4. The USG continues to conduct cooperative programs with
the central government of Algeria on a number of economic
development, good governance and fiscal policy fronts. The
Department of Treasury currently has two resident advisors in
Algeria. The first works on an intermittent basis at the
office of the national Treasurer within the Ministry of
Finance and focuses on public debt management. The other is
secunded on a full-time basis to the Central Bank advising
the Algerians on bank supervision. A team of USG tax experts
is expected to begin work in the second quarter of 2008 to
advise the Algerian tax administration as it implements key
reforms to enhance internal controls, improve tax collection
and simplify the tax system. We also manage other programs
in the area of credit risk assessment and management,
anti-money laundering, and countering terrorist financing
implemented both by USG employees and NGOs using USG funds.
5. The Algerians do cooperate with other donor nations on
fiscal policy programs, and the IMF Article IV report for
Algeria issued on February 11, 2008 indicated that the
Algerians fully cooperated in the report's assessment visit
and that "Algeria's statistical base is broadly adequate for
surveillance." A number of IMF products regarding fiscal
analyses of Algeria's economy are available on the IMF
Website.
FORD
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
STATE PASS TO EEB/IFD/OMA ASNOW AND RFIGUEROA, AND TO
NEA/RA JPALLARES AND JSCOVITCH
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: EAID ECON PREL AG
SUBJECT: ALGERIA'S FISCAL TRANSPARENCY
REF: STATE 16737
1. In response to reftel, Post submits the following:
2. Algeria has made progress since 2003 regarding fiscal
transparency. Budget plans are unveiled each autumn for the
following calendar year, and the Finance Law is officially
published in the journal of record on December 31. A report
of the Finance Law, including policy narratives and
year-to-year comparisons, is available on the Ministry of
Finance Website, as is other fiscal data. In addition to the
annual Finance Law, Algeria frequently publishes a
Complementary Finance Law in July to supplement the budget.
3. Revenue and expenditure figures are made available
publicly through these publications, and are probably fairly
accurate. Separte budgets are released for salaries and for
public benefit pay-outs (such as veterans' pensions) at each
agency (Budget de Fonctionnement),and for broad categories
of capital investments and equipment costs (Budget
d'Equipement). Revenues are reflected in terms of "ordinary"
categories, such as taxes, customs and royalties, and in the
broad, larger category of petroleum receipts. Petroleum
receipts are still largely diverted to the Stabilizaton Fund
(FRR),which makes accounting for these revenues more complex.
4. The USG continues to conduct cooperative programs with
the central government of Algeria on a number of economic
development, good governance and fiscal policy fronts. The
Department of Treasury currently has two resident advisors in
Algeria. The first works on an intermittent basis at the
office of the national Treasurer within the Ministry of
Finance and focuses on public debt management. The other is
secunded on a full-time basis to the Central Bank advising
the Algerians on bank supervision. A team of USG tax experts
is expected to begin work in the second quarter of 2008 to
advise the Algerian tax administration as it implements key
reforms to enhance internal controls, improve tax collection
and simplify the tax system. We also manage other programs
in the area of credit risk assessment and management,
anti-money laundering, and countering terrorist financing
implemented both by USG employees and NGOs using USG funds.
5. The Algerians do cooperate with other donor nations on
fiscal policy programs, and the IMF Article IV report for
Algeria issued on February 11, 2008 indicated that the
Algerians fully cooperated in the report's assessment visit
and that "Algeria's statistical base is broadly adequate for
surveillance." A number of IMF products regarding fiscal
analyses of Algeria's economy are available on the IMF
Website.
FORD