ِThis session, marked by the presence of the Minister of Economy and Finance, Nadia Fettah, and the Minister Delegate in charge of the budget, Fouzi Lekjaa, was devoted to the detailed discussion of the various articles of the PLF, as approved by the House of Representatives.
Thus, the parliamentary groups in the House called for an amendment to this tariff applied to consumer products in accordance with the principles of the social state and ensuring the protection of the middle class.
In this sense, some parliamentary advisers have stressed the need to adopt a progressive taxation “in order to preserve the purchasing power of citizens”, referring to the new tax rate, relating to mobile phones in addition to a set of electrical appliances and thermoelectric machines, which has increased from 2.5% to 30%.
In this regard, a number of trade union representatives have advocated a review of this increase, stating that it concerns basic and widely consumed products, in particular mobile phones “which have become an indispensable means of learning and knowledge”.
In this context, the socialist group described this tax measure as “unjustified”, noting that the telephone “is now part of citizens’ way of life and is used for learning purposes”.
After specifying that the revision of the tariff of customs duties is mainly done with a view to achieving profit margins with the Treasury, or to protect health or national industry, the socialist team called for the maintenance of the tariff levels applied to electrical appliances.
“Any increase in the tax rate is likely to threaten small income-generating businesses,” they warned.
For their part, the groups of the Moroccan Labor Union, the National Labor Union of Morocco and the Democratic Confederation of Labor, emphasized the obligation to protect artisans who use a range of electrical devices and “who will be affected by any increase in import duties applied to the latter.”
On the other hand, the interventions of the parliamentary advisers focused on the provisions of the first paragraph of Article 4 of the draft finance bill stipulating “a reduction of the 40% quota of the import duty tariff set by Article 4 of Finance Law 25.00 to 30% as of January 1, 2024”, it being understood that the rate of the customs duty tariff specified at 30% will not be applied to the products mentioned in Chapter 24 of the import duty tariff, and to the products which were subject to the 40% duty before the entry into force of the amending finance law of 2020.
The parliamentary advisers praised the said tax measure, which includes the reduction of import duties applicable to green tea contained in packages, from 30.2% to 30%, and to 2.5% for green tea presented otherwise with a weight equal to or greater than 20 kg, as well as the reduction of import duties applicable to tuna to 17.5%.
For his part, Mr. Lekjaa, who was responding to the interventions of the deputies, affirmed the government’s openness to an “adequate formula” concerning import duties applied to telephones, in the same way as domestic consumption taxes, particularly for the “low-income consumer.”
This meeting, he assured, constitutes an opportunity to continue the discussion with professionals operating in the various sectors concerned, a commitment kept, also, at the level of the Finance and Economic Development Committee in the House of Representatives.
Regarding the tax procedures contained in Article 4 of the draft finance law relating to the reduction of the rate of import customs duties from 40% to 30%, the Minister Delegate explained that they target “more than 21,000 people in economic activities”, considering that the previous increase in these duties led to the closure of a set of investments, which directly affected the workforce.
To this end, he stressed “the need to protect national economic activity and offer employment opportunities to young people.”
It should be recalled that the House of Representatives had approved by majority, the Finance Bill No. 55.23 for the financial year 2024. Thus, it was submitted to the House of Councilors to complete its examination and proceed to the vote before its retransmission to the House of Representatives for final approval within the framework of the second reading.
2024-08-08 08:54:58