State Vehicle Spending Surges: Fuel Costs Devour Budget

"The overall envelopes dedicated to the vehicle fleet have reached an average of 3.094 billion dirhams for the 2024 and 2025 fiscal years, compared to an average of 2.673 billion between 2020 and 2023," Nadia Fettah said in response to a written question from MP Nabil Dakhch, representing the Rabat-Océan constituency for the Popular Movement (MP, opposition). "(...) these credits remain, however, lower than those observed during the 2012-2014 period, when the annual average stood at 3.508 billion," she added, recalling that "this evolution stems from the circular on the controlled management of the financial commitments of the State and public establishments during the state of health emergency."

According to this circular, the supervised administrations must limit or abolish expenses deemed non-essential, particularly those related to travel, transport and fleet maintenance, with the exception of the health and security sectors. Detailing the structure of these allocations, the minister specifies that they cover the annual vehicle tax, the acquisition of utility and service vehicles, the purchase of fuels and lubricants, as well as the acquisition of two-wheelers. "Fuels and oils alone have absorbed about 60% of the credits between 2021 and 2025," she stressed.

This high proportion does not escape criticism either regarding the excesses observed in the use of official vehicles for private trips, recurrent sources of local controversy. These deviations calling for corrections, guidelines have been set. These aim to "reduce the number of service vehicles, gradually renew the fleet by withdrawing dilapidated vehicles, unify the acquisition criteria and coordinate the purchasing operations." For Fettah, it is necessary to "implement a more rigorous control system, develop professional skills related to fleet management, promote the introduction of electric and hybrid powertrains, and delegate workshops deemed unnecessary."