Ennahda calls on Tunisian government for serious dialogue over 2017 budget

Tunisia’s Ennahda movement has called on the government, the Tunisian General Labour Union and the Tunisian Union of Industry, Trade and Handicrafts to engage in serious dialogue over the 2017 budget.

In a post-Shura Council meeting statement posted on its official website on Sunday, Ennahda called on the government to find other sources to finance the state budget and not to depend completely on taxes that burden small and medium enterprises and middle-class citizens. The movement has also called on people to pay taxes voluntarily, describing it as a “national duty”.

Prime Minister Yousuf Chahed called on the unions to overcome economic and social difficulties experienced by the country and maintain the country’s supreme interest at heart.