Morocco’s parliament validated the 2026 Finance Bill on Friday, December 5, just 47 days after government submission on October 20. The Chamber of Representatives approved the legislation in second reading following Thursday’s green light from the Chamber of Advisors, completing an expedited budget marathon.
The rapid adoption enables the current governing majority to implement major projects in health and education before September 2026 legislative elections. Despite traditional divergences and counter-proposals, no major opposition threatened the bill’s passage. Lawmakers from both chambers submitted approximately 577 amendments during discussions, with government retaining about one hundred.
Beyond traditional macroeconomic forecasts projecting 4.6 percent growth, three percent budget deficit, and two percent inflation, the focus centers on critical urgencies. Health and education sectors alone receive unprecedented 140 billion dirham allocations, responding to Generation Z youth demonstrations in late September and early October.
Budget Minister Fouzi Lekjaa promised accelerated hospital construction, rehabilitation, and programming during debates. The social component forms the bill’s backbone given political and social context. Economy and Finance Minister Nadia Fettah Alaoui described the legislation as a key public management milestone, launching territorial development programs based on local specificity valorization, advanced regionalization operationalization, and reinforced territorial solidarity.
Regarding fiscal measures, the Moroccan Business Confederation introduced 48 amendments during upper chamber passage. Debates pushed government to revise initial provisions on corporate tax and value-added tax withholding at source, now phased and targeting primarily large enterprises, sparing much of the national economic fabric from measures initially proposed.
Customs duties on smartphone imports drop from 17.5 percent to 2.5 percent under the 2026 Finance Law. Amendments sponsored by business parliamentary representatives maintained customs duty exemptions covering up to 300,000 head of cattle and 10,000 camels for livestock imports.
