Fiscal Risks Faced by Moroccan SMEs

Abstract

Taxation has become one of the major preoccupations of any company since “Better tax management means better financial management”. To do this, a company must not only have a good knowledge of the legal and tax environment in which it operates but also a good understanding of the fiscal risks it may face. This situation is perhaps even more pronounced in tax matters because of the financial burden that tax imposes on the company and because of the permanent risk of control and, where appropriate, sanctions to which the company is exposed. The concern of the company, in general, and the SME in particular, is above all to be informed of the existence of fiscal risks and to assess the extent and importance of these risks. This article presents fiscal risks as a source of stakes and challenges for Moroccan SMEs (Small and Medium Enterprises). These fiscal risks may have different natures, sources and areas. Our work aims at better understanding the origins of sources of fiscal risks. In order to carry out our research, we conducted a survey of 78 SMEs to find out the real origins of sources of fiscal risks faced by Moroccan SMEs. What are they? Are they of internal or external origin? The results show that fiscal risks have both internal and external origins, which leads Moroccan SMEs to question how to manage these risks in order to increase their results and achieve performance.