Morocco said its decision to impose additional taxes on Tunisian school books complies with the World Trade Organization laws, says online newspaper Middle East Monitor on Friday. The Kingdom's response was made public Thursday, 12th of July, by the government spokesperson Mustapha El Khalfi in a press briefing held in Rabat. In fact, Tunisia lodged a complaint to the WTO after Rabat decided to impose «additional customs on Tunisian school books», reported the same source. «What we have done is in accordance with the World Trade Organization's rules», said the Minister, adding that school books coming from Tunisia are «flooding» the Moroccan market and affecting competition rules. According to El Khalfi, the additional taxes protect local companies, struggling to survive and provide jobs. For the record, Tunisia claims that Morocco is violating the General Agreements on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), a legal agreement between many countries, whose overall purpose was to promote international trade by reducing or eliminating trade barriers such as tariffs or quotas.
