Moroccan Customs Revenue Hits Record 103.7 Billion Dirhams in 2019

The Director General of the Customs and Indirect Taxes Administration provided the audience with figures that testify to last year’s achievements. Thus, according to Nabyl Lakhdar, customs declarations increased by 8%, reaching 1.15 million, the goods inspection rate is 16% while the average clearance time does not exceed 6 hours, reports L’Économiste. This clearance time does not take into account the controls of the Onssa and the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, the customs chief observed.

Nabyl Lakhdar took the opportunity to propose "the implementation of an index that would allow monitoring of clearance times". Noting that 70% of the 30,000 to 40,000 disputes processed each year are settled amicably, while the rest end up in court, he called on the Federation of Consumer Goods to play the role of facilitator on disputes opposing it to operators. "We can reduce by 25% the number of cases going to court. The federation can play a role," said Nabyl Lakhdar.

Among the novelties that the Customs Administration intends to launch soon, the Customs Director General mentions the overhaul of the code, the upgrading of which is deemed necessary and should also integrate the concepts related to digitalization. In addition, EDI declaration against form seizure will now be mandatory for large operators, while the institution will continue the dematerialization of documents, namely the bill of lading, the export certificate visa, the Customs chief said.