Morocco Debates Alcohol Tax Hike Amid Concerns Over Illegal Trade

"A significant number of Moroccans are alcohol consumers. If the tax on alcoholic beverages is increased, it would encourage illegal trade," argued Touria Lahrach, advisor to the Democratic Confederation of Labor (CDT) group, urging the Minister of Finance to "rethink" the issue of increasing the alcohol tax during the public debate on the 2020 Finance Bill (PLF).

The tax on alcoholic beverages is therefore not unanimous. However, it is one of the flagship measures of the 2020 PLF adopted by the parliamentarians in the House of Representatives. This measure is not to the liking of the Advisors who made it known to the Minister of Economy and Finance.

During the same session, Advisor Azzedine Zekri, from the Moroccan Union of Labor (UMT) group, declared that the increase in the tax on alcoholic beverages would affect tourism. "If we take into account the amount of alcohol consumed in Morocco, we would lie by claiming that only tourists consume it," he said.

The minister replied that "the PLF for the coming year does not provide for an increase on alcoholic beverages" and is still under study in the Finance Committee of the House of Advisors and will be voted on in plenary early next week.