Morocco Considers Reviving Sugar Tax on Soft Drinks and Juices

In addition to the members of the finance committees of the two chambers of parliament, representatives of the ministries concerned will also participate in this meeting, reports Le360. The ICT on sugary drinks (sodas, fruit juices, energy drinks, carbonated drinks) had been the subject of discussions during the examination of the 2019 finance bill. The members of the government at the time had retained an amendment during the approval of the first part of this bill. An amendment that will be rejected during the examination by the House of Advisors of the 2019 Finance Act.

The government had explained that this taxation should help fight obesity, which affects millions of Moroccans. Elsewhere, a similar measure had already been taken for the same reasons. The case of France is a perfect illustration. In July 2018, the hexagon "had introduced changes to this tax", called the "soda tax", in force since 2012 and "which applies to beverages containing added sugars". Enough to force industrialists to reduce the sugar content of their products, especially sodas.