Morocco Expects 2026 Budget Deficit to Decline despite Increased Social Spending

  • Rabat, Morocco
  • 30 May 2024
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Morocco's Minister Delegate for Budget, Faouzi Lekjaa, predicted that the budget deficit will shrink to 3% in 2026 from 4% expected this year. Higher tax revenues offset increased spending on social safety nets. Lekjaa pointed out that nearly a third of the country's families, or3.9 million families, benefit from health coverage that is borne by the state and direct cash social support.

Spending on social protection programs, increasing civil servants' wages, and housing assistance requires an additional 90 billion dirhams (nine billion dollars) a year. He confirmed that government revenues will rise to 461.3 billion dirhams from 364.6 billion dirhams expected this year. The government's regular revenue rose 17.5 percent in the first four months of 2024, compared to the same period last year.

Source (Al-Araby Al-Jadeed Newspaper, Edited)