ALGERIA'S 2010 DRAFT BUDGET

UNCLAS ALGIERS 001148 SIPDIS DEPT FOR NEA/MAG E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ECON EFIN ELAB PGOV AG SUBJECT: ALGERIA'S 2010 DRAFT BUDGET REF: ALGIERS 842 SUMMARY -------------- ¶1. Algeria's 2010 draft budget, approved by the government and parliament, boosts public spending to 1 trillion Algerian dinars (about USD 14.1 billion, at the exchange rate of 71 dinars to USD 1),or to more than 12 percent of GDP. Falling oil prices have depressed revenues and will produce a large deficit, which will be covered by payments from a fund accumulated from previous budget surpluses. A luxury tax on yachts and a tax on pharmaceutical importers will plus up the social security fund, while a tax on oil will finance a Renewable Energies Fund. The budget shows a government preference to buy social peace with social spending and support for state companies rather than stimulating employment-creating private investment. It also continues controversial restrictions on imports and foreign investment contained in the 2009 amended budget adopted last July. The analysis below is based on press reports; the figures will not be public and final until publication in the Official Journal after President Bouteflika signs the bill. End summary ECONOMIC FRAMEWORK OF THE 2010 DRAFT BUDGET -------------- ¶2. The economic background to the 2010 draft budget is the 50-percent drop in exports, to USD 31.90 billion over the first nine months in 2009, compared to USD 62.37 billion during the same period in 2008. Imports increased by 1.12 percent and totaled USD 29.79 billion for the first nine months in 2009, compared to USD 29.464 billion for the same period in 2008. In defending the budget before parliament, the finance minister projected that Algeria's GDP growth would reach 4 percent, with 5.5 percent growth outside of the hydrocarbons sector in 2010. The estimated inflation rate would be 3.5 percent. (Note: Inflation for the first eleven months of 2009 has been 5.7 percent on an annualized basis. End note) ¶3. The budget uses a USD 37 per barrel reference oil price to calculate government revenue. The 2010 draft budget foresees 3.081 trillion dinars (USD 43.4 billion) in revenue and expenditures of 5.860 trillion (USD 8.25 billion),compared to 3.178 trillion dinars in revenue and 5.428 trillion dinars in expenditures in the revised 2009 budget (the so-called Complementary Finance Law, decreed in July 2009 and ratified by parliament in September). The 2.779Q)trillion-dinar deficit will be covered by the 4-trillion-dinar government stabilization fund, which was formed by past budget surpluses. ¶4. Anticipating the increase of the minimum wage (announced December 2 following tripartite talks between government, employers, and unions) the operating budget increased to 2.838 trillion dinars (compared to 2.593 trillion in the 2009 supplemental budget). That includes 2.525 trillion dinars for salaries for civil servants and other state employees and 230 trillion dinars for the payment of family allowances and subsidies for municipalities. ¶5. In comparison to the 2009 supplemental budget, the 3.332-trillion-dinar capital budget has been increased by 7 percent. It breaks down as follows: 1.5 trillion dinars for infrastructure (construction of roads, railway network, ports, etc.); 1 trillion dinars for construction related to improving living standards (health infrastructure, housing and urban development, the water distribution network, gas and electricity distribution, improvement of public transportation, sports, culture, and environment); 190 billion dinars for infrastructure related to training and scientific research; and 250 billion dinars to encourage job creation (within the framework of the National Youth Employment Fund, aid for agricultural investment, support for industrial investment by adding to the capital of the National Investment Fund, and a decrease in banking interest rates to encourage business creation and create more jobs). TAX MEASURES INCLUDED IN THE 2010 DRAFT BUDGET -------------- - ¶6. Simplifications to the tax system will create a flat tax ("Impot forfaitaire unique") of 25 percent on the income of independent professionals and small enterprises with incomes between 5 and 10 million dinars. This system replaces the previous progressive tax system that applied a sliding scale. The flat rate tax will also apply to corporate incomes that exceed 5 million dinars. ¶7. The final tax measure in the budget has new provisions for social protection, promotion of renewable energies, and reducing mortgage loan costs. The state will take charge of the social security contributions (covering health insurance, pensions, and disability) of employees hired within the framework of the Professional Insertion Plan, which assists individuals in finding jobs. Two new taxes will be instituted to plus up the National Social Security Fund: a 250,000-dinar tax on the sale of yachts, and a 5-percent tax on the profits of pharmaceutical importers and wholesale distributors. The budget will create a National Renewable Energies Fund, financed by a 0.5 percent oil tax (it is not clear on which product or unit),and a fund to reduce mortgage loan interest. Finally, there will be a 2-dinar tax on tobacco products (half goes to the social security fund and the rest to the National Solidarity Fund),and an increase from 500 to 3,000 dinars in fees for issuing residence cards to foreigners working in Algeria. (Note: Established in September 2001, the National Solidarity Fund is a public entity that accepts voluntary contributions from citizens and companies in order to implement programs and projects for economically disadvantaged social groups.) BUDGET IMPACT ANALYSIS -------------- ¶8. The housing-related measure to push down mortgage rates was expected. However, domestic economic experts doubt it will have much impact on Algeria's longstanding housing shortage and high housing prices. However, real estate developers may benefit from the interest rate reduction in the construction of public housing projects. ¶9. In their aim to boost investments by "strategic" public companies, the GOA has allocated a portion of the 2009 budget for debt relief for public enterprises in financial difficulty. This money, whose amount remains unspecified, will also be used to fund the creation of 13 new companies by the Ministry of Industry and Investment Promotion. ¶10. The 2009 revised budget (Complementary Finance Law) contained several tax measures to encourage the growth of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs),the development of the agricultural and tourism sectors, and domestic job creation programs (reftel). The 2010 budget retains all these measures. It also retains the provision making the letter of credit the only legal instrument to pay for imports, as well as the provision requiring 51-percent Algerian ownership of any new foreign investment (reftel). However, the December 2 tripartite negotiations agreed to establish a commission to examine possible modifications to the letter of credit requirement. Several Embassy business contacts say this requirement is slowly strangling their enterprises, since they must now pay for imports up front, but often wait up to 24 months for payment for goods and services they provide for the Algerian market. ¶11. The increase in the minimum wage from 12,000 to 15,000 dinars, agreed to in tripartite negotiations December 2, becomes effective January 1 and will directly affect 200,000-300,000 employees. Autonomous trade unions, which were not included in the tripartite talks, complained that the increase is inadequate in the face of inflation (estimated at 5.5-5.7 percent) and that the increase will not help the great majority of workers, who earn more than the new minimum wage. The wage rise could well provoke higher inflation, as the increased demand for consumer goods from higher wages will collide with the 2009 budget measures designed to reduce imports (reftel). This could lead to inflation exceeding the 3.5 percent predicted by the Minister of Finance during 2010. FINAL STEPS -------------- ¶12. On December 16, the Algerian Senate passed the 2010 Finance Law, after the lower chamber did so in November. President Bouteflika has the authority to change provisions in the law but will not likely do so. He is expected to approve it before December 31, at which time the full text (including exact figures) of the 2010 budget will be published in the Official Journal. JORDAN