Tunisian car dealers call for lower duties on imported car parts
The national chamber says eight active car plants face double taxation, and it wants tariffs removed on components used for local assembly.
Ibrahim Debbache, president of the National Chamber of Car Concessionaires and Manufacturers (CNCCA), has asked Parliament's finance committee to cut customs duties on car components imported for assembly in Tunisia. He told Mosaique FM on Friday, November 13, that the measure would encourage local investment and bring new vehicles within reach of ordinary buyers.
Debbache said the duties on components are followed by consumption taxes when the assembled car is sold, which he called a double tax that makes locally built vehicles less competitive. He said the chamber's preferred option is to remove duties entirely on components used in local production, and that the eight plants now operating in the sector are struggling. The proposal was put forward during hearings on the 2027 finance bill.
Debbache also linked the proposal to demand, saying the market needs between 80,000 and 90,000 vehicles a year and that more than 30,000 enter through the parallel market. He argued that cheaper local production could eventually support exports, and he urged that it be built into the "A car for every family" project, which was planned in the 2026 finance law but has not been implemented.