A wave of complaints has hit local councils across Morocco’s Casablanca-Settat and Marrakesh-Safi regions, as citizens and elected officials alike voice frustration over stalled issuance of agricultural use certificates—documents essential for temporary exemption from the urban land tax.
According to information obtained by Hespress, dozens of municipal councils have received formal grievances from both majority and opposition councilors, as well as property owners. The complaints cite the failure of designated inspection committees to conduct field visits or issue required reports since the beginning of the year. This has led to hundreds of pending tax exemption requests remaining unresolved for more than 100 days.
Sources explained that the delay violates Law No. 55.19 on the simplification of administrative procedures, specifically Article 16, which requires public administrations to process and issue decisions within a maximum of 60 days.
Council members accuse some mayors of intentionally slowing the process and failing to apply the law, which they say harms agricultural investors and landowners who rely on the tax exemption. The failure to act, they warn, may expose municipalities to legal disputes, especially when taxes are levied on land being actively used for agricultural or professional purposes.
Adding to the complexity, the Ministry of Interior has reportedly instructed local authorities to temporarily suspend the collection of urban land taxes while awaiting the rollout of Draft Law No. 14.25, which seeks to amend Law No. 47.06 on local taxation and proposes increasing the value of the tax.
The central government has already begun assessing challenges related to the collection of this tax, aiming to resolve issues around how it is imposed and recovered. Officials hope to reduce legal disputes between municipalities and landowners, which have led to significant compensation claims resulting from court rulings.
The situation is further complicated by allegations of political favoritism and inconsistencies in how the tax has been applied. Some municipal tax departments have failed to notify property owners of outstanding dues or have neglected to recover back taxes, sparking concerns over selective enforcement and possible electoral bias.
Investigations by the Interior Ministry’s General Inspectorate have uncovered irregularities in the issuance of agricultural use certificates. Some mayors have already faced administrative dismissal due to these violations, prompting the state to consider shifting responsibility for local tax collection back to the national tax authority.
In response, the ministry has directed provincial governors to take a stricter approach, particularly regarding the role of local officials in inspection committees. These directives are based on audit comparisons between exemption approvals and data from the Treasury, which documented disputes with delinquent taxpayers who were granted exemptions.
Council members say failure to provide certificates not only obstructs access to lawful tax relief but also risks triggering court cases that could financially strain municipalities. They stress that restoring legal compliance and transparency is essential to protecting both public funds and citizen rights.
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