By Angu Lesley
Football Writer,kick442.com-Cameron
Morocco has introduced a broad package of tax incentives aimed at attracting investment into the sports sector, supporting professional athletes and accelerating the development of the country’s sports industry.
The measures, highlighted in the 2026 Tax Guide published by Morocco’s General Directorate of Taxes (DGI), cover sports companies, athletes, coaches, sports federations and associations, investors and businesses that contribute to sporting activities.
The package provides significant tax relief for newly established sports companies. Under the provisions highlighted in the guide, sports companies created under Law No. 30-09 can benefit from a full corporate income tax exemption for five consecutive fiscal years, beginning from the year in which they record their first taxable sale.
After the exemption period, the applicable corporate tax rate is generally 20%, while companies meeting the specified high-profit threshold can be subject to a 35% rate.
The measures also facilitate the transformation of sports associations into professional companies. Under certain conditions, an association can transfer part or all of its assets and liabilities to a qualifying sports company without the transfer immediately affecting its taxable income. However, if the company later sells assets transferred in this manner, any resulting capital gain must be accounted for using the original value of the assets.
Tax relief for athletes and coaches
Morocco’s new framework also places considerable emphasis on professional athletes and sports personnel.
Professional athletes, coaches, instructors and technical staff can benefit from a 50% allowance when their taxable employment income is calculated. However, a temporary system provides significantly higher allowances during the transition period.
Eligible income can benefit from a 90% allowance in 2026, 80% in 2027, 70% in 2028 and 60% in 2029, before returning to the standard 50% allowance.
For coaches, educators and technical staff, eligibility is linked in part to holding a professional sports contract under Law No. 30-09 and possessing a licence from the relevant sports federation.
Incentives for federations, associations and sponsors
The package extends beyond professional clubs and athletes.
Sports federations and associations recognized as being of public utility are described in the guide as benefiting from a permanent corporate tax exemption covering their activities and related income.
Morocco is also using tax deductions to encourage businesses to financially support sporting organisations.
Businesses making cash or in-kind donations to sports clubs may deduct the expenses from their taxable profits, subject to the applicable conditions, with the deduction capped at 20% of net profit and a maximum of USD 500,000.
Certain donations to public-utility sports organisations, the Moroccan National Olympic Committee and regularly constituted sports federations are also eligible for deductions.
VAT and investment incentives
The measures also target the cost of sporting infrastructure and investment.
Certain activities carried out by public-interest sports federations are exempt from VAT, although the exemption does not provide a right to deduct input VAT.
Imported sports equipment intended as donations to eligible sporting organisations can also benefit from import VAT exemptions, while qualifying transfers of assets from sports associations to sports companies can be exempt from registration fees.
The guide further provides VAT relief, with the right to deduct input tax, on certain investment assets acquired by VAT-registered businesses and entered as fixed assets.
In general, the investment VAT exemption can apply for 36 months from the start of operations, while construction projects can have the period calculated from the date the building permit is issued.
Certain large-scale projects worth at least USD 5 million and covered by a state agreement can benefit from additional provisions, including the possibility of extending the relief period by up to 24 months under the applicable conditions.
Morocco seeking to professionalise sports
The wider package also includes exemptions on qualifying capital goods imported for investment, as well as a five-year business tax exemption for newly established activities from the year they begin operations.
Taken together, the measures represent a deliberate attempt to use the tax system as a tool for developing Morocco’s sports economy — from professional clubs and athletes to infrastructure, sponsorship, equipment and private investment.
Rather than treating sport solely as an area of competition and entertainment, the framework places it within the broader investment and economic development agenda.
The details of the measures were highlighted by Nuhu Adams, whose summary of the 2026 DGI Tax Guide provides the basis for the facts presented in this report. The DGI guide itself is intended for general information and does not replace the underlying laws and regulations governing Morocco’s tax system.
For African countries seeking to develop more sustainable professional sports industries, Morocco’s approach provides a notable example of how tax policy can be used to attract capital, support sporting organisations and create a more structured commercial environment for sport.
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