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Rabat – Moroccan Minister of Trade and Industry Moulay Hafid Elalamy will meet with the chambers of commerce and industry on January 16 following merchants’ strikes against the new electronic invoicing, the industry ministry said in a statement on Wednesday.
Early this month, the General Directorate of Taxes (DGI) announced the implementation of new tax measures using electronic invoicing.
The measures stipulate that merchants should use an electronic system to issue invoices. To do this, merchants must have billing software approved by tax authorities and an information system allowing a common database with the tax authorities.
The government introduced the measures in the 2018 Finance Law at the end of 2017 and were expected to come into force in early 2019.
Read Also: Morocco’s House of Representatives Adopts 2019 Finance Bill
The new measures sparked uproar among merchants. On January 3, many wholesalers in Casablanca closed their shops and held a sit-in at La Victoire Place protesting the new tax law.
The protesting merchants were from Derb Omar, Allal Garage Allal, Korea, and Bayada, the main commercial sites in Casablanca.
On January 4, Elalamy called on merchants to present their demands in an organized manner through the chambers of commerce and industry.
Following the merchants’ demonstrations, the DGI announced that some media reported false explanations and interpretations of the electronic billing system.
The tax authority denied the explanations, saying they are “completely unfounded” and “indicate a misunderstanding of the new provisions of the 2018 Finance Law.”
The DGI explained that the electronic billing system “concerns only professionals subject to financial control and does not apply to merchants and service providers subject to the lump sum system,” in a statement on January 8.
“The new billing system provisions have not yet entered into force and will only be implemented after the publication of the law.”
In the January 16 meeting, Minister Elalamy will discuss the merchants’ demands with their representatives. Members of the DGI and customs will also attend the meeting.
