Morocco to Raise Alcohol Taxes, Driving Up Prices in 2024

For wines, the majority is in favor of a 50 dirhams increase in the excise tax instead of 100 dirhams/hectolitre and 150 dirhams for beers, reports L’Économiste, adding that the increase in the tax on non-alcoholic beers will be maintained at 100 dirhams/hectolitre. As for ethyl alcohols intended for the preparation of brandies and liqueurs, the increase will be 2,000 dirhams, details the newspaper, which states that in order to protect the local market, it is proposed to revise upwards the import duties on several products, including those containing cocoa, going up to 40% against 17.5%, not to mention the increase in the import duty applied to knitted fabrics, which will go from 10% to 40%.

The daily also mentions the amendments targeting the single professional contribution (CPU), replacing the flat-rate profit system. "This new regime excludes taxpayers engaged in one of the professions or activities provided for by regulation and commercial, industrial or craft professions whose annual turnover exceeds 2 million dirhams. The same applies to service providers whose turnover exceeds 500,000 dirhams," explains the same source.

The majority wants to simplify the procedures for joining this scheme, through an annual declaration and not a quarterly one. "If the taxpayer opts for payment in four quarters, the payment of the tax must cover 25% of the amount of the tax due and be made at specific periods (before the end of March, June, September and late December). If he chooses an annual payment, he will have to pay the tax before the end of April of the year following the fiscal year concerned," specifies the daily.