Hibapress
The Minister of Economy and Finance, Nadia Fettah, affirmed, Saturday in Rabat, that the strengthening of the pillars of the social state, through the completion of the implementation of the generalization of social protection, constitutes one of the challenges of the finance bill (PLF) for the year 2025.
Speaking during a joint plenary session of the two Houses of Parliament, devoted to the presentation of the main lines of this PLF, Ms. Fettah indicated that the completion of the social protection project will be carried out via the generalization of the AMO (Insurance compulsory illness) for the benefit of all social and professional categories, while continuing to pay, with an annual budget of around 10 billion dirhams (billion dirhams), the contributions under the AMO scheme for people unable to pay contribution rights.
Regarding direct social assistance, the minister assured that the Executive will work to continue this program, with an increase in aid to 250 dirhams for each child among the first three enrolled in school, or under 6 years old. , or in a situation of disability (350 dirhams) and 175 dirhams for each child among the first three not in school.
For orphaned children on the paternal side under the age of six or those continuing their studies, this aid will be 375 dirhams for each child among the first three, without the minimum for each family being less than 500 dirhams per month, she added, specifying that the program budget will increase to 26.5 billion dirhams in 2025.
Regarding the project to improve the health system, Ms. Fettah noted the government’s determination, through next year’s PLF, to continue the implementation of the overall health reform in its various components, in order to successfully generalize AMO and guarantee citizens access to care in good conditions.
In this sense, she indicated that a budget of 32.6 billion dirhams was allocated to Health and Social Protection in the finance bill, with an increase of approximately 1.9 billion dirhams compared to the financial year. 2024.
Among the initiatives planned in the health sector is the continued execution of the program to upgrade around 1,400 health establishments, considered a fundamental element in bringing health services closer to citizens, noted the minister. , noting that the government has successfully upgraded 872 health centers and that 524 more centers will be completed in 2025.
Ms. Fettah also recalled that the Executive pays particular attention to the education sector which constitutes a key element in the qualification of human capital and the strengthening of the pillars of the social State, indicating that a budget An additional MAD 11.7 billion is allocated to this sector, bringing the total budget to nearly MAD 85.6 billion in the 2025 PLF.
At the same time, she assured that the government will continue to execute the roadmap for the generalization of preschool education for the benefit of 983,654 beneficiaries during the 2024-2025 school year, and to expand the program of schools of excellence for include 2,626 primary schools and 232 middle schools during the same period, in addition to the opening of 189 new educational establishments, 68% of which will be located in rural areas, while continuing efforts in the field of social assistance.
Regarding support for the purchasing power of citizens, the minister revealed that the government will continue, in 2025, to implement a series of measures, including the maintenance of subsidies on basic products, such as butane gas. , refined sugar and soft wheat flour, allocating more than 16.5 billion dirhams to the compensation fund for next year.
And to continue that as part of the consecration of the democratic process and the strengthening of social peace, and in application of the high guidelines of the King, the government will ensure to honor its commitments within the framework of social dialogue, with a budget of 20 billion dirhams. dedicated to this purpose in the PLF 2025, which will bring the total commitments to around 45 billion dirhams by 2026.
The Executive, added Ms. Fettah, will continue the reform of the income tax (IR), in particular via the revision of the progressive scale and the increase of the first tranche of the scale relating to the exempt net income from 30,000 dirhams to 40,000 dirhams , which will make it possible to exempt salary income below 6,000 dirhams per month.
Furthermore, the minister stressed that the government is mobilized to accelerate the execution of high royal instructions concerning the rehabilitation of areas affected by floods in the south-east of the Kingdom, by providing direct financial assistance to affected households, which will amount to 80,000 dirhams for partially damaged homes and 140,000 dirhams for those having suffered a total collapse.
In addition, the government continues, according to Ms. Fettah, to apply the high royal instructions concerning the areas affected by the Al-Haouz earthquake, whether by granting direct aid to affected families or by financing emergency projects carried out by the ministerial departments concerned.
