The Finance Committee of the House of Representatives spent the day reviewing the various amendments in the presence of Economy and Finance Minister Fouzi Lekjaa.
Speaking to Le360, Ahmed Abbadi, a lawmaker from the majority-party Party of Progress and Socialism (PPS), said an amendment proposing a VAT exemption on sand had been submitted but immediately rejected.
He added that the government had also advocated improving widows’ pensions, exempting 87% of employees from income tax and exempting electricity bills below 100 dirhams, a measure that benefits nearly 6 million households. “The government will mobilize more than 60 billion dirhams for social measures,” he said.
PJD lawmaker Abdellah Bouanou expressed regret over the rejection of an amendment calling for the removal of a provision, particularly Article 68, concerning specifications governing livestock imports. He argued that the matter falls within the scope of legislation rather than administrative regulations.
He said his parliamentary group had also submitted an amendment opposing tax exemptions on livestock and meat imports. Bouanou argued that these exemptions could undermine the national livestock herd without bringing down red meat prices on the domestic market, which remain high despite previous support measures and tax exemptions. “We have doubts about who the actual beneficiaries of this measure are, at the expense of local livestock farmers,” he said.
The PJD lawmaker called on the government to present a bold policy to protect the national livestock herd, support farmers and ensure reasonable prices for consumers. He also called for a meeting involving the finance and agriculture ministers.
Alliance of the Left denounces reliance on borrowing
Nabila Mounib, a lawmaker from the Alliance of the Left, said the Finance Bill showed a gap of around 159 billion dirhams between revenue and expenditure. According to her, the government plans to borrow 120 billion dirhams, leaving a shortfall of around 39 billion to 40 billion dirhams, which it would seek to cover through “new loans.”
She added that more than 500 public properties, including schools, hospitals and administrative buildings, “have been transferred, and the state now pays annual rent of between 8 billion and 9 billion dirhams for them.” She concluded by calling on the government to “fight corruption instead of going into debt.”
