Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
09NDJAMENA436
2009-10-09 13:46:00
UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
Embassy Ndjamena
Cable title:
CHAD: BIG SPENDING AND GOVERNMENT-PROVIDED HOMES
how-toVZCZCXRO8970 OO RUEHBC RUEHBZ RUEHDE RUEHDH RUEHDU RUEHGI RUEHJO RUEHKUK RUEHMA RUEHMR RUEHPA RUEHRN RUEHROV RUEHTRO DE RUEHNJ #0436 2821346 ZNR UUUUU ZZH O 091346Z OCT 09 ZDK FM AMEMBASSY NDJAMENA TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 7291 INFO RUCNFUR/DARFUR COLLECTIVE PRIORITY RUEHEE/ARAB LEAGUE COLLECTIVE PRIORITY RUEHZO/AFRICAN UNION COLLECTIVE PRIORITY RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC PRIORITY RHMFISS/HQ USAFRICOM STUTTGART GE PRIORITY
UNCLAS NDJAMENA 000436
SIPDIS
SENSITIVE
STATE FOR AF/C, S/USSES
NSC FOR GAVIN
LONDON FOR POL - LORD
PARIS FOR POL - BAIN AND KANEDA
ADDIS ABABA ALSO FOR AU
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL PGOV PREF ECON EFIN CD
SUBJECT: CHAD: BIG SPENDING AND GOVERNMENT-PROVIDED HOMES
TO COUNTERBALANCE TAXE INCREASES?
REF: A. NDJAMENA 431
B. NDJAMENA 429
C. NDJAMENA 428
D. NDJAMENA 426
E. NDJAMENA 409
UNCLAS NDJAMENA 000436
SIPDIS
SENSITIVE
STATE FOR AF/C, S/USSES
NSC FOR GAVIN
LONDON FOR POL - LORD
PARIS FOR POL - BAIN AND KANEDA
ADDIS ABABA ALSO FOR AU
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL PGOV PREF ECON EFIN CD
SUBJECT: CHAD: BIG SPENDING AND GOVERNMENT-PROVIDED HOMES
TO COUNTERBALANCE TAXE INCREASES?
REF: A. NDJAMENA 431
B. NDJAMENA 429
C. NDJAMENA 428
D. NDJAMENA 426
E. NDJAMENA 409
1. (U) With the National Assembly in session and the
security situation here still calm, the pace of activity on a
number of domestic issues that we have been tracking has
picked up.
-- On October 9, the Council of Ministers approved a
long-awaited 2010 budget, which will shortly be presented to
the National Asembly for debate and passage. The budget
counts on increased oil earnings and projects the
availbility of a total of 1.64 billion USD in revenue(736.86 billion FCFA). It sets spending at 1.98 bllion USD
(888.97 billion FCFA),creating a 34 mllion USD deficit (Ref
D).
-- Also o October 9, the GOC announced a tax on vehicles in
proportion to their fuel consumption. The tax will fund
environmental initiatives. The need to take action to
address environmental challenges has become a favorite topic
of conversation here across a range of government ministries
(Ref B).
-- The government has also announced a plan to tax mobile
phone usage, in the aim of providing assistance to the
National Radio and Television Corporation. This tax is being
levied instead of a tax on all civil servant salaries, which
has been scrapped (Ref E).
-- Finance Ministery Gata Ngoulou has been asked to be a
witness in the ongoing schoolbook corruption case against
Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Education officials.
President Deby and the Council of Ministers approved the
Ministry of Justice's request to have Ngoulou testify (Ref
A). Corruption has been the top subject in the local media
for a number of months here.
-- The President has declared that the GOC will build 1000
homes in and around N'Djamena, in an obvious attempt to
offset criticism of his 2008 housing demolition projects.
Seventy of the homes will be allocated to research professors
with the Ministry of Higher Education. (Ref C).
2. (SBU) COMMENT: We view all these development as
electioneering initiatives, with the government's attempts to
proffer some benefits designed to offset the tax proposals,
which will of course have their detractors. As for the
budget, we will study it in more detail and seek out IFI
views. END COMMENT.
3. (U) Minimize considered.
BREMNER
SIPDIS
SENSITIVE
STATE FOR AF/C, S/USSES
NSC FOR GAVIN
LONDON FOR POL - LORD
PARIS FOR POL - BAIN AND KANEDA
ADDIS ABABA ALSO FOR AU
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL PGOV PREF ECON EFIN CD
SUBJECT: CHAD: BIG SPENDING AND GOVERNMENT-PROVIDED HOMES
TO COUNTERBALANCE TAXE INCREASES?
REF: A. NDJAMENA 431
B. NDJAMENA 429
C. NDJAMENA 428
D. NDJAMENA 426
E. NDJAMENA 409
1. (U) With the National Assembly in session and the
security situation here still calm, the pace of activity on a
number of domestic issues that we have been tracking has
picked up.
-- On October 9, the Council of Ministers approved a
long-awaited 2010 budget, which will shortly be presented to
the National Asembly for debate and passage. The budget
counts on increased oil earnings and projects the
availbility of a total of 1.64 billion USD in revenue(736.86 billion FCFA). It sets spending at 1.98 bllion USD
(888.97 billion FCFA),creating a 34 mllion USD deficit (Ref
D).
-- Also o October 9, the GOC announced a tax on vehicles in
proportion to their fuel consumption. The tax will fund
environmental initiatives. The need to take action to
address environmental challenges has become a favorite topic
of conversation here across a range of government ministries
(Ref B).
-- The government has also announced a plan to tax mobile
phone usage, in the aim of providing assistance to the
National Radio and Television Corporation. This tax is being
levied instead of a tax on all civil servant salaries, which
has been scrapped (Ref E).
-- Finance Ministery Gata Ngoulou has been asked to be a
witness in the ongoing schoolbook corruption case against
Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Education officials.
President Deby and the Council of Ministers approved the
Ministry of Justice's request to have Ngoulou testify (Ref
A). Corruption has been the top subject in the local media
for a number of months here.
-- The President has declared that the GOC will build 1000
homes in and around N'Djamena, in an obvious attempt to
offset criticism of his 2008 housing demolition projects.
Seventy of the homes will be allocated to research professors
with the Ministry of Higher Education. (Ref C).
2. (SBU) COMMENT: We view all these development as
electioneering initiatives, with the government's attempts to
proffer some benefits designed to offset the tax proposals,
which will of course have their detractors. As for the
budget, we will study it in more detail and seek out IFI
views. END COMMENT.
3. (U) Minimize considered.
BREMNER