Hafedh Laâmouri calls for sweeping reform of Tunisia’s social funds
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Businessnews
Former Tunisian minister Hafedh Laâmouri says comprehensive social security reform is needed to correct imbalances in the funds, despite the higher retirement age and increased contributions. He said on Express FM on 28 October 2026 that measures in the 2026 finance bill would provide around an additional billion dinars, equivalent to nearly one month of pensions.
Former Tunisian Minister of Vocational Training and Employment Hafedh Laâmouri has called for comprehensive social security reform, based in particular on diversifying the resources of social funds. Speaking on Express FM on Wednesday 28 October 2026, he said measures adopted separately, such as raising the retirement age in the public sector and increasing contributions, had not corrected the structural imbalances.
Hafedh Laâmouri said the measures provided for in the 2026 finance bill were expected to raise around 1 billion dinars in additional funds, according to figures from Tunisia’s Ministry of Finance. He nevertheless compared this sum with the cost of the system, saying it was barely equivalent to one month of retirement pensions.
The former minister welcomed the tax measures envisaged in the draft 2027 finance bill, notably raising tax on gambling from 40% to 60%, increasing taxes on alcoholic drinks and raising the travel stamp from 60 to 80 dinars. He also called for higher taxation on tobacco and polluting activities, whose health consequences, he said, increase spending by the National Health Insurance Fund (Cnam).
He also approved the state’s assumption of the social debts of four struggling public enterprises, presented as a way of supporting the funds. The proposal comes after the tax measures in Tunisia’s 2027 budget draft, which provides for 68.9 billion dinars in spending, according to an article published on 26 October.
