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Morocco Plans 40% Tariff Increase to Protect Local Industry

Moroccan government has proposed in its draft amended Finance Law for year 2020 to increase tariffs on certain imported finished goods.

According to the document, the import duties applicable to certain finished consumer products will now rise from 30% to 40%. The measure aims to strengthen the protection of national production to accompany the efforts undertaken to support businesses whose activities have been adversely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

In the framework of the 2020 Finance Law, planned to increase the customs tariffs applicable to certain finished products from 25% to 30% in order to improve customs revenue collected from import duties, encourage local production, and reduce the country’s trade deficit.

However, the arrival of the pandemic, which affected at least 15,079 people in the country, added further pressure on national foreign exchange reserves, prompting the government to opt for a policy of import substitution by local production. In addition to these economic measures, the new Amending Finance Law also provides for major investments in the social sector, notably through the MAD10 billion ($148 million) Special Anti-Coronavirus Fund launched by the authorities.

It should be noted that according to the government, the new measures to increase customs tariffs will remain “within the limit of the rates bound by Morocco at the World Trade Organization (WTO).”

(Ecofin Agency)- Moutiou Adjibi Nourou

About Babajide Iletogun

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