The collusion of territorial groups and real estate developers wastes billions in the Public Treasury
This article was automatically translated from HIBAPRESS, the Arabic version:
This article was automatically translated from HIBAPRESS, the Arabic version:
Heba Press – Abdel Latif Baraka
The tax on undeveloped urban land is considered one of the most important personal resources of local authorities in Morocco, but reality reveals that many groups do not have precise data on those who are obliged to pay this tax, which allows some to escape it.
The law requires groups to conduct an annual census of taxpayers, in coordination with the Ministry of Finance, with the aim of providing an accurate database of taxpayers.
However, the accounting documents of the majority of territorial groups show a notable weakness in their income, particularly that linked to this fee, which undermines their ability to finance their local projects and leaves them in dire need of absent partnerships.
Collection fraud and tax evasion
Informed sources report that some groups are reluctant to collect royalties imposed on undeveloped land, by not updating the database of debtors or by altering the issuance of recovery orders, which prevents them from being sent to the services of the Public Treasury to ensure the recovery of the money owed.
Facts have shown that failure to collect the fee on time is in the interest of real estate developers, since the issuance of recovery orders is postponed until the end of the sales operations, forcing the buyer to pay this fee in place of the seller or the real estate. promoter.
This is considered a blatant violation of legal requirements which state that the property developer, as the owner of the land, is responsible for paying the fees.
Citizen complaints and varying group interactions with the law
Many citizens complain about manipulations that make them bear the burden of the tax on undeveloped land in place of real estate developers, who do not pay it on time. Citizens accuse local groups of failing to issue collection orders for land not built on according to law, exposing them to additional costs due to officials’ failure to collect the tax on time.
In this context, observers point out that a small number of land groups apply the legal requirements related to the collection of royalties on undeveloped land, while other groups refuse to update the database of those obliged and fail to issue royalty collection orders in a timely manner. , which contributes to the inflation of late amounts.
Reports from regional accounts councils and fraud detection
The reports from the Regional Audit Commissions agree with these facts, because they confirm that many taxpayers are seeking by all means to evade paying their taxes and collective fees.
Fraud is widely used in determining the tax base, whether by hiding taxable income or by sending false or false declarations, which leads to difficulties in recovering amounts owed.
Errors in data such as name and address or errors in calculating income are considered among the main reasons that prevent collection operations from being carried out, leading to the accumulation of amounts owed by the groups.
The urgency to reform the system and achieve tax justice
The collusion between certain territorial groups and real estate developers, in addition to the inability to implement legal procedures, greatly threatens the financial resources which could contribute to the development of local projects and the improvement of public services.
The current situation requires urgent action by local and central authorities to ensure strict enforcement of the law and periodically update data to ensure effective collection of taxes due, while combating all forms of manipulation and tax evasion.
