🇲🇦Le Matin·2 hours ago
Road transporters criticize government fuel subsidy as insufficient and inconsistent
The Union of Road Transport, affiliated with the Moroccan Labor Union, has criticized the government's fuel subsidy program for road transport professionals, calling it "incoherent" and "far below real costs." The union highlights two main issues: insufficient support and irregular payments, which are impacting a sector already facing high operating costs due to volatile fuel prices. The union questions the government's calculation logic, pointing out that a 3 dirham per liter subsidy is capped at 6,000 dirhams for trucks, despite a heavy-duty truck consuming nearly 6,000 liters of diesel monthly, which should theoretically qualify for 18,000 dirhams in aid. Similarly, national goods transporters, consuming an estimated 3,500 liters monthly, receive aid equivalent to only about 2,000 liters. This discrepancy, the union states, "directly threatens the financial viability of transport companies." The issue extends to passenger transport, with coaches consuming 2,700 to 3,400 liters monthly receiving a cap of 7,000 dirhams, and taxis also facing similar limitations. First-category taxis consuming around 450 liters monthly are capped at 2,200 dirhams, while second-category taxis consuming about 300 liters are capped at 1,600 dirhams. Recurring payment delays further exacerbate cash flow problems. The union also criticizes the exclusion of utility vehicles, which are crucial for agricultural product distribution, from the subsidy program. The union argues that the subsidy's criter