The hypotheses on which the finance bill (PLF) for the year 2025 is based are based on precise technical and scientific data, affirmed, Wednesday in the Chamber of Advisors, the Minister Delegate to the Minister of the Economy and Finance, responsible for the Budget, Fouzi Lekjaa.
In response to the interventions of parliamentary groups and groups during the general discussion session of the PLF 2025, Mr. Lekjaa stressed that “the hypotheses are subject to logic and reality, and that the government will not benefit from their amplification or minimization.
The minister, who presented the figures and data, indicated that the government allocated more than 100 billion dirhams (MMDH) for social dialogue, medical coverage and direct social assistance, in addition to direct aid to housing and rehousing of slum dwellers in Casablanca and Rabat, as well as the cost of tax reform.
And added that the Executive has voluntarily allocated around 10% of gross domestic product (GDP) to be injected into the income of vulnerable social categories and the middle class, “which reflects its commitment to strengthening the social state” .
Mr. Lekjaa also addressed the approach adopted for the development of the PLF, specifying that it “is based on a clear vision aimed at implementing the national social protection project, under the leadership of His Majesty King Mohammed VI” .
This project, he noted, requires a lot of time and effort to make the necessary progress and achieve the set objectives, noting that the achievements obtained in this area “are indisputable, since nearly 11 million people benefit of direct aid and the total amount of aid allocated exceeded 30 billion dirhams.
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-Regarding social dialogue, Mr. Lekjaa assured that the government allocated around 45 billion dirhams, “which led to significant increases in salaries, including 3,800 dirhams for doctors, in order to resolve a problem which has persisted since years, and 3,000 dirhams for higher education teachers, as well as increases ranging from 1,500 to 4,800 dirhams for civil servants from the Ministry of National Education”.
The minister also described social dialogue as a “historic step” to pay tribute to the teacher who deserves all the necessary attention, adding that teachers, as well as health sector personnel, constitute the backbone and the essential pillar for the success of social reform.
Regarding the exemption of retirees from income tax (IR), Mr. Lekjaa underlined the importance of this reform which concerns a category having devoted its life to the service of the Nation, whether in the public or private sector, specifying that the financial impact of this measure amounts to 1.2 billion dirhams.
In addition, he focused on tax reform which focused on reducing taxes for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) making profits of less than 100 million dirhams (MDH), while increasing them for businesses whose annual profits exceed 100 MDH.
In this sense, Mr. Lekjaa estimated that the introduction of the withholding tax system would contribute to improving the sustainability of public finances.
(IDM with MAP)
