فاس نيوز ميديا جريدة الكترونية جهوية تعنى بشؤون و أخبار جهة فاس مكناس – متجددة على مدار الساعة
Rabat: Abdellah Bouanou, the head of the parliamentary group of the Justice and Development Party (PJD), has called for the urgent commencement of preparations for the legislative elections scheduled for 2026.
This statement was made during his address at the meeting of the Committee on Interior, Territorial Collectivities, Housing, Urban Policy, and Administrative Affairs, held today, Tuesday, May 6th. The session was dedicated to the examination of draft law No. 14.25 amending and supplementing law No. 47.06 relating to the taxation of territorial collectivities.
In the presence of the Minister of the Interior, Abdelouafi Laftit, Bouanou advocated for an early start to electoral consultations, arguing that such a timeline would promote equal opportunities among the various political formations. He cautioned against premature attempts to instrumentalize the 2030 World Cup for electoral purposes, emphasizing the need to establish a climate of transparency and fairness in the electoral process.
Local Taxation: A System Running on Fumes
Regarding the fiscal aspect, Bouanou criticized the “media obsession” surrounding the legal proceedings targeting certain local elected officials. While acknowledging that some deserve the sentences handed down to them, he stressed that many elected officials join territorial councils not to serve the public interest, but to satisfy personal interests and enrich themselves.
He recalled that the budget of territorial collectivities does not exceed 40 billion dirhams, a modest share compared to the state’s general budget estimated at 400 billion dirhams. He also denounced the imbalance of attention between local authorities and other public institutions, calling for the fight against corruption regardless of its source.
Who Should Collect Local Taxes?
In this context, Bouanou proposed exempting local elected officials and their administrations from the task of collecting taxes and duties, highlighting the lack of resources and the absence of incentive mechanisms comparable to those of the Ministry of Finance. He then suggested the creation of a delegated ministry attached to the Ministry of the Interior exclusively dedicated to this task.
Finally, criticizing the slowness and fragmented approach to the reform of local taxation, the Islamist MP pleaded for an ambitious and coherent overhaul of the local tax system. Primarily focused on property tax and business tax, this aims to simplify management and reduce the multiplicity of stakeholders.
