The Minister Delegate in charge of the Budget, Fouzi Lekjaa, indicated on Monday that tax receipts increased by nearly 5% on May 31 to reach 4.9 billion dirhams (MMDH).
In response to oral questions in the House of Representatives on “The state of public finances”, Lekjaa specified that in four months, 40% of the expected revenue was collected through corporate tax, while the he income tax recorded an increase of 5.6%, with a realization rate of 49%.
And to continue that the value added tax (VAT) increased by 17.5% with an achievement rate of 42.4%, while customs duties marked an increase of 9%, and the duties of recording and timbre by +12%.
He added that in return for this significant increase in resources and the maintenance of the forecasts resulting from the Finance Law for the year 2023, there were a certain number of other positive factors linked to the fall in the prices of certain materials. raw materials, in particular butane gas, the price of which is now 408 dollars per ton, against an average of 599 dollars per ton since the beginning of the year, as well as common wheat, with a price of 248 dollars per ton , against an average of 298 dollars since the beginning of the year.
Lekjaa stressed that these figures reflect a positive development capable of ensuring additional margins if they continue on this same trend until the end of the year, assuring that “this controlled situation has given the government the possibility of ‘open additional initial appropriations pending additional appropriations in the future to deal with exceptional circumstances and other urgent priorities’.
After indicating that the Compensation Fund will not undergo a reform this year in view of the fluctuations in the price of raw materials, Lekjaa assured that this reform has not been canceled and that discussions are continuing.
And to note that the reforms able to strengthen the resources to help the needy classes will be implemented.
In response to another oral question on “The financing of the social protection project”, the Minister Delegate noted that the resources of the Social Cohesion Fund should reach 23 billion dirhams by the end of the current year.
In this regard, he explained that until the end of last May, the balance of the Fund amounted to 12 billion dirhams, to which must be added 8 billion dirhams of deferred balance, and 3 billion dirhams of planned resources of the Fund by the end of the year, noting that these credits will allow the payment of 9.5 billion dirhams for the benefit of people unable to pay the contributions of the AMO, and then the financing of the remaining part during the year within the framework of the transfer of family allowances.
He also indicated that the government has maintained all social programs in favor of widowed women as well as the “Tayssir” program and others, up to 2.5 billion dirhams, adding that the financing of the social protection project is managed from controlled manner.