With less than two weeks to go before the legislative elections scheduled for September 23, 2026, Morocco's private sector is stepping up its public statements to influence the economic debate.

Two employers' organizations have spoken out on the subject in recent days: the General Confederation of Moroccan Enterprises (CGEM) and the Moroccan Confederation of Very Small, Small and Medium Enterprises (VSE-SME). Their approaches differ in form but converge on a shared observation: businesses, and VSMEs in particular, must become a more powerful engine of the country's next phase of growth.

For business owners, these positions deserve attention. Beyond the electoral news cycle, they touch on issues that could translate concretely into upcoming finance laws and regulatory reforms: corporate taxation, access to financing, public procurement, and payment terms.

The CGEM's five priorities

Meeting on September 10 in Casablanca for its second Board of Directors session under the 2026-2029 term, chaired by Mehdi Tazi, the CGEM set five major priorities for this economic rentrée.

  • accelerating private investment and developing the national industrial base;
  • strengthening competitiveness and upgrading Moroccan businesses;
  • supporting VSMEs;
  • developing employment and skills;
  • internationalizing Moroccan businesses and diversifying their export markets.

According to Mehdi Tazi, this economic rentrée comes at a pivotal moment, as several socioeconomic issues occupy a central place in the election campaign. In this context, the CGEM has engaged in discussions with political parties that expressed an interest, in order to learn about their proposals and share the private sector's concerns. The Confederation also says it is working on the levers to be activated with the next government, in a spirit of dialogue it describes as constructive and responsible.

A more formal approach from the VSE-SME Confederation

For its part, the Moroccan Confederation of VSEs-SMEs has adopted a different approach from the one followed during the 2016 and 2021 elections. While direct exchanges with political officials had previously been favored, this time it opted for a more official and transparent approach, demanding written, precise and quantified commitments, together with an implementation timeline.

The Confederation plans to submit to the main political parties, as well as to national media, a memorandum comprising thirteen priority demands in favor of SMEs and self-employed entrepreneurs. It is also asking parties to publicly answer, before September 23, five precise questions: what do they intend to do for SMEs, how, within what timeframe, with what resources, and according to what performance indicators.

This list of demands covers several areas:

  • Taxation ➡️ lowering the corporate tax rate applicable to VSEs from 20% back to 10%, and canceling late-payment penalties for VSEs-SMEs and self-employed entrepreneurs acting in good faith. It recalls that this rate rose progressively from 10% to 20% over four years, starting with the 2023 tax reform, despite warnings raised at the time with the Ministry of Economy and Finance.
  • Financing ➡️ a deep reform of VSE-SME access to credit and the creation of a dedicated public bank, along with adapting social contributions to the real economic capacity of small businesses, particularly during their early years.
  • Public procurement ➡️ thirteen years after the target of reserving 20% of public contracts for VSEs-SMEs was adopted, this target still has not been met due to the absence of implementing regulations. With an annual volume of public investment exceeding 350 billion dirhams, effectively applying this quota would represent more than 70 billion dirhams for these businesses.
  • Payment terms ➡️ a 30-day cap and the creation of an independent oversight authority.
  • Support ➡️ digitalization, access to international markets, and the creation of a dedicated agency for VSEs called "Maroc TPE".

Figures that illustrate the stakes

The VSE-SME Confederation backs its demands with several figures. It estimates that nearly 150,000 businesses disappeared between 2022 and 2025, 99% of them VSEs. It also points out that VSEs-SMEs represent more than 98% of Moroccan businesses, which in its view justifies particular attention to their situation in the electoral debate.

What this means for entrepreneurs

For a VSE owner, a freelance professional or a project founder, these statements are not purely a matter of political news. They concern parameters that directly shape economic activity: the level of corporate tax, the conditions for accessing financing and public contracts, payment terms, and support mechanisms for business creation and digitalization.

📌 Both confederations state that they are not giving any voting instructions and do not support any particular political party. Their approach aims to obtain, from candidates, clear and verifiable commitments that can be tracked and assessed over the course of the next legislature.

Key takeaway

The legislative elections of September 23, 2026 are taking place in a context where Moroccan employers' organizations, whether the CGEM or the VSE-SME Confederation, are demanding precise commitments on taxation, financing, public procurement and payment terms.

For entrepreneurs, tracking how these demands evolve and their possible translation into upcoming finance laws is a useful monitoring exercise, on par with the usual tax and accounting foresight. Support from a chartered accountant helps businesses stay informed of regulatory developments that could directly affect their activity.