Customs brings e-commerce to order
It was time to stop the haemorrhage and the devastation caused by e-commerce on whole sections of the economy, particularly textiles, say many operators in the sector. From now on, from next July 1, purchases made through international e-commerce platforms will be excluded from exemption from import customs duties, regardless of value.
This is the purpose of the draft decree which was adopted at the last government meeting and which aims to put order in this area. In fact, it is an old decree relating to duty-free imports and other duties and taxes on certain objects and goods, which has been amended. Initially, it stipulates that products and objects, excluding alcoholic beverages and tobacco, with a value not exceeding 1,250 MAD (about 125 USD), sent to natural or legal persons, having a residence in Morocco, used to be exempted from customs duties.
Now, the new decree excludes purchases from the benefits granted to e-commerce, regardless of value. This provision does not apply to individual-to-individual shipments where the applicable deductible of 1,250 MAD remains unchanged. Moreover, the minister in charge of the Budget, who presented the text to the Government Council, states categorically: “the decree does not target Moroccan consumers. We do not even speak about natural persons. The goal of the legislation is to restore commercial fairness and to protect the sectors affected by this practice. Otherwise, in a short time, 2 to 3 years, entire sectors of the economy might disappear”, Fouzi Lekjaa told L’Economiste. According to him, at this rate, there will be no more trade, no more shops, and no supermarkets. All of these organized activities are at risk of collapse. In any case, for the time being, whoever has used the loophole in this system will have to pay their dues in less than two weeks. For the Minister, it is imperative to protect the national economy. If the situation continues like this, the textile sectors and traders in Morocco will suffocate. The Minister takes this opportunity to recall that a Chinese e-commerce platform, after 10 years of creation, has a turnover of 100 billion US dollars. Moroccan companies and merchants make separate purchases to avoid taxation. However, operators import goods in containers and pay duties and taxes. As for those who go through international trade, they pay nothing, and for a good reason since these platforms do ship the purchases made by Moroccan customers, knowing that below the threshold of the value of 1,250 MAD, these purchases remain duty-free. Beyond that amount, the operation is taxable, explains a source from the Customs and Excise Administration (ADII).
Mohamed CHAOUI
