Tunisia unveils campaign to fight contraband fuel
Distributors of petroleum products and petrol station owners have launched a campaign against contraband fuel in Tunisia.
The campaign under the slogan 'Contraband is against you' uses street posters in the country's main cities and TV messages showing the risks for Tunisia if the black market in fuel continues to grow.
Contraband fuel has a strong negative impact on the national economy, now accounting for 30 per cent of total sales in the sector compared to 10 per cent in 1996 according to Tunisian industrialists' association executive member Lofti Hamrouni.
The phenomenon concerns all parts of the country, not just southern and central regions, he added. Roughly 20,000 people are employed in the contraband fuel sector in Tunisia according to a study prepared by statistics company Sigma Conseil.
The market is controlled by approximately 150 barons and accounts for an annual loss to the taxman of around $17 billion, the study found.
