Rabat – Morocco will impose new import tariffs on all products bought online from abroad, regardless of their value, as approved by Morocco’s government on Thursday.
Before, Moroccans didn’t have to pay fees for products whose prices didn’t exceed MAD 1,250 ($125), but the new measures seem to stem from people splitting up their purchases in several smaller batches to avoid paying the fee.
“This project aims to strengthen customs monitoring of packages received from abroad when they relate to transactions made online,” Government spokesperson Mustapha Baitas said during a press conference on Thursday.
The proposed tariffs would come as an amendment to existing decree 2.77.862 that manages customs fees and indirect taxes, which went into effect in 1977.
Recent reports indicate that Moroccans largely abstain from buying online anyways. The World Bank reported earlier this year that only 17% of the country’s citizens use digital payments.
Only 1.6% of the population buy products and services online. The phenomenon is in part due to an underdeveloped telecom infrastructure, but largely because of a general distrust Moroccans have towards digital payments.
New York-based Endeavor also recently reported that 98% of transactions in Morocco’s economy were made in cash in 2020, during a time when governments and businesses alike in the region are working on making digital services more prevalent and easier to access.
