Casablanca – According to the daily Al Massae, the head of government Mr. Benkirane is facing today a challenging test at the house of councilors as he is trying to avoid the approval of the bill that would lead to the implementation of a tax on wealthy. The opposition has been rallying sympathizers from the majority to lend weight to their position. Surprisingly, the bill earned large support among the National Union of labor in Morocco (NULM) members, a trade union affiliated to the PJD.
Some MPs declared that the government will be trapped in an intricate situation if the amendment to the tax on wealthy is ever passed in both houses. Sources close to Al Massae reported that the coalition has been striving to summon the coalition parties’ affiliates in the house of councilors to counter the opposition’ ventures to pass the tax on wealthy. The coalition government seems to be mobilized to prevent any unpleasant surprise during the vote session in the upper house of the legislative branch.
The opposition displayed equally a high degree of synergy intended to impel its members in the parliament to vote for the tax on wealth. The tax on wealthy has created another wide chasm between the government and the opposition whose presence in the last finance committee meeting has been noticeably massive.
It worth mentioning that the PJD had previously leveled criticism over the high rate of absenteeism in the opposition ranks during parliamentary sessions.
Mr. Ramach the NULM representative in the house of councilors has been criticized for standing against the government during the vote in the finance committee meeting. The latest consultation meeting where the NULM members were convened has led to a new twist. Seemingly, the NULM is more likely to vote against the amendment to the bill of tax on wealthy. Mr. Halouti, the NULM vice secretary declared that the trade union members have reconsidered their decision. He argues that this tax would have a detrimental impact on investment and eventually on the interests of the working class.
The tax on wealthy bill is a hard test for the PJD-led government whose actual position contradicts the popular slogans reiterated during its electoral campaigns. Mr. Didaa, the head of the federal group in the parliament declared that “the government rhetoric about social reform and social solidarity is a mere political hypocrisy”.
If the majority members vote unanimously against the adoption of this tax, the opposition is more likely to be submitting it again during the 2013 finance bill vote session.
Morocco has a bicameral system which consists of the Chamber of Counselors, which includes members elected indirectly by local councils, professional organizations, and labor syndicates and the Chamber of Representatives (or lower house), whose members are elected by universal suffrage for a five-year term.
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