Tax the wealthiest to avoid IMF, says Tunisia’s president

Tunisians have endured a decade of economic stagnation since the revolt that overthrew longtime ruler Zine El Abidine Ben Ali in early 2011 [Jihed Abidellaoui/Reuters]

Tunisia’s President Kais Saied has proposed taxing the country’s wealthiest citizens to avoid the “foreign diktats” of the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

Despite reaching an agreement in principle last October on a bailout package worth nearly $2bn, talks with the IMF have stalled for months over demands to restructure public bodies and lift subsidies on basic goods.