Key Points
- Removal requested of customs duties and taxes on equipment for renewable electricity production and storage.
- VAT at 7% requested to make solar installations more accessible.
- Stated objective: to reduce the cost of investments for households and businesses.
- Call for dialogue between Parliament, the government and sector professionals.
A Customs Exemption for Solar Equipment
In their letter, the National Chamber of Photovoltaics, part of the Tunisian Union of Industry, Trade and Craft (UTICA), and the Professional Grouping of Renewable Energies, affiliated with CONECT, request the total removal of customs duties and taxes on several categories of equipment.
This measure would notably concern photovoltaic panels, solar collectors, batteries, energy storage systems as well as components essential to the production and storage of electricity from renewable sources.
The two organizations also propose to reduce the value-added tax (VAT) to 7 % for these equipment, in order to reduce the final cost of installations and facilitate their acquisition by individuals and businesses.
Taxation at the Heart of the Energy Transition
According to the two professional bodies, the energy transition is now an economic, strategic, and security necessity for Tunisia.
They believe the country must accelerate the development of renewable energies, particularly solar, while encouraging households and businesses to produce and locally consume their electricity.
In this perspective, they consider that fiscal and customs policy should accompany this transformation rather than burdening citizens who wish to invest in photovoltaic installations.
Expected Economic Benefits
The signatory organizations believe that a reduction in equipment costs would broaden access to solar energy and encourage more investments.
They also consider that these measures could foster job creation, the development of industries and services related to renewable energies, and the growth of Tunisian companies operating in this sector.
However, these benefits are anticipated effects by the professionals, and not numerical results set out in their letter.
A Call for Urgent Institutional Dialogue
The two organizations emphasize that Tunisia has the assets to become a significant regional player in the field of solar energy, provided it adopts a legislative and fiscal framework coherent with the national objectives of the energy transition.
They thus call for the urgent opening of an institutional dialogue bringing together the Assembly of the Representatives of the People, the government, professionals, and organizations concerned with energy.
The objective would be to develop a set of legislative and fiscal measures to support investment in renewable energies and to promote a safer, more sustainable, and competitive energy system.
This initiative comes as the government must submit to Parliament the 2027 Finance Bill before October 15, in accordance with the constitutional timetable.
