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Rabat – Morocco’s Istiqlal Party, led by former Minister of Economy and Finance Nizar Baraka, has urged the government to rectify the Finance Law for 2018 to overcome the “difficult social and economic situation” the country is currently experiencing.
The party presented a set of recommendations at the parliament meeting on Tuesday.
The list of recommendations proposed by the party includes the protection of purchasing power, support for employment, and income improvement through social dialogue.
Baraka’s coalition called on Head of Government Saad Eddine El Othmani to increase the salaries of employees by MAD 200 starting in July 2018.
The party also proposed an increase to the annual income tax-free income from MAD 30,000 to MAD 36,000. The political party demanded the inclusion of an annual tax deduction for private school tuition fees capped at MAD 6,000 per child enrolled.
The Istiqlal party also criticized the purchasing power in Morocco, proposing a flexible system to calculate internal consumption taxes on the import of hydrocarbons in relation to international prices.
According to the party, this strategy seeks to alleviate the impact of increases to international prices on the purchasing power of citizens.
The recommendations came in conjunction with the ongoing boycott campaign targeting three companies: Sidi Ali, Afriquia, and Centrale Danone.
As head of the Istiqlal Party, Baraka announced his support for the boycott campaign in April, calling on the government to listen to the message underlying the boycott, rather than looking for people behind the campaign.
“The important thing is not to know who is behind the campaign, but rather to understand the message conveyed,” he said.
The party also introduced a set of measures aimed at improving employment in the country, including the extension of tax and social security exemptions granted to companies created between January 2015 and December 2019.
The party added that the government needs to unlock funds to revive regional investment centers and set up new employment opportunities for Moroccans.
The party further said that the government needs to provide funding for the implementation of measures related to paid training for graduates in administration and public institutions.
