In response to the observations of deputies during a plenary session devoted to the examination and vote of the first part of the PLF, Ms. Fettah indicated that the government has put in place concrete and proactive measures to mitigate the repercussions of the crises. on citizens, which made it possible to reduce inflation to 1.1%.
Regarding the social dimension, the minister reported the continuation of the effective implementation of the social protection project, affirming that medical coverage now benefits a large number of Moroccans.
Ms. Fettah also returned to social dialogue, as well as the reduction in income tax (IR) which will cost more than 5 billion additional dirhams (MMDH) and will benefit more than 80% of employees in the private sector.
Regarding the territorial dimension, the minister welcomed the increase in the share of value added tax (VAT) allocated to local authorities, which goes from 40 billion dirhams to 51 billion dirhams in 2025, a first since 1986.
Furthermore, Ms. Fettah emphasized the macroeconomic dimension which is considered one of the main components of strengthening the economic framework, specifying that the government continues to gradually reduce the budget deficit to 4% of GDP in 2024, at 3.5% in 2025, before reducing it to 3% in 2026, while reducing public debt to 69% next year.
In light of these data, argued the minister, the Executive has succeeded “par excellence” in meeting five major challenges to consolidate the social state. The first challenge concerns the continued implementation of the social protection project, said Ms. Fettah, estimating that “the government has demonstrated political courage, as well as realism and audacity, to provide social assistance to 4 million families. The second challenge, she continued, concerns the direct housing assistance program, specifying that until the beginning of November 2024, more than 113,000 applications had been submitted in this context, including 26% from Moroccans living abroad and 37% young people under 35.
As for the third challenge, which concerns social dialogue, the minister recalled that as part of the consolidation of social peace, the government will allocate in 2025 a budget of 20 billion dirhams for the implementation of the results of social dialogue. , which will strengthen the purchasing power of a large portion of citizens.
The fourth challenge is to continue supporting the purchasing power of citizens. To this end, Ms. Fettah cited, as an example, support for electricity prices, noting that, for each bill of 100 dirhams, the government contributes up to 75 dirhams as additional aid.
As for the fifth challenge, it concerns the continuation of the government’s efforts to reform Health and Education, with a view to strengthening the role of the social State.
Furthermore, Ms. Fettah recalled the strong historical symbolism linked to the development of the PLF 2025, “coinciding with the 25th anniversary of the accession of His Majesty King Mohammed VI to the Throne of His glorious Ancestors”.
She underlined, in this regard, that His Majesty the King “led during this quarter of a century a quiet revolution” which allowed Morocco to become a strategic actor and a reference model at the continental and international levels.
