Casablanca: the mayor’s pressure on owners causes controversy

The new protocol requires municipal officials to verify that the landlord is up to date with their tax obligations, particularly for the housing tax and the municipal services tax, before validating any residential or commercial contract. This measure is facing strong opposition from the district presidents, who fear a multiplication of daily tensions between administrative agents and users.

Local elected officials also point out that the glaring lack of human resources in the administrative annexes makes the systematic application of this control virtually impossible from a technical standpoint.

From a legislative point of view, the decision is considered abusive by several legal observers, who recall that the certification of a signature is an administrative act of identification that has no connection with the financial situation of the parties. Moreover, Law No. 47.06 on the taxation of local authorities does not contain any provision authorizing the suspension of this public service for reasons of tax collection.

Faced with this legal void, the municipality is exposed to a high risk of litigation before the administrative courts, while voices are being raised to call for a national harmonization of procedures in order to avoid penalizing local interpretations for citizens.