Although alcohol is forbidden (haram) in Islam, Morocco’s moderate Islamist government appears to have found a halal route that allows them to profit from its sale. Caught between soaring prices, low economic growth forecasts, and a harsh drought, the Islamist-led government had decided to increase tax on liquor sales in a step to increase state revenue. The liquor tax has been raised from 10,500 ($1,230) dirham per 100 liters (26.4 gallons) to 15,000 ($1,760) dirhams per 100 liters. The tax on beer has been raised from 550 ($64) to 900 ($105) per 100 liter while the sales tax on cigars has been raised by 10 percent to 35 percent.
The draft bill registered in Parliament by 14 MPs belonging to PJD has already prompted some reactions. The draft bill provides for a ban on any form of direct and indirect advertising regarding alcoholic drinks and includes new forms of censorship and the ban on events and exhibitions containing alcoholic drinks. Moroccan wine-producers joined tourism operators and wrote a letter to the Parliament's Chairman, Karim Ghellab, to the chairmen of parliamentary groups and to the Head of the Government, Abdelilah Benkirane; the letter was signed by the National Tourism Federation (NTF), by the National Federation of Restaurant Owners (FNR), by the National Federation of the Hotel industry (FNIH) and by the National Federation of travel Agents (FNAVM) [...] The "new lobby"'s arguments are mainly based on preserving the nation's wine-growing and tourism industry, a sector which is already struggling with the financial crisis affecting the tourists'countries of origin. According to the operators' estimate, the sector would lose a further share of its appeal is such a law were to be passed.
