Tax clearance in Benin: The Democrats remain unsatisfied despite the DGI’s adjustments
The debate over the tax clearance certificate continues to animate the Beninese political scene. Invited on Thursday, September 18 to Tado FM, Guy Dossou Mitokpè, national communications secretary of the party Les Démocrates, was critical despite the recent adjustment made by the Direction Générale des Impôts (DGI).
SUMMARY
The day before his appearance, a delegation from Les Démocrates, led by the president of the parliamentary group, Nourénou Atchadé, had met with the DGI to request clarifications regarding the newly implemented digital platform for requesting the tax clearance certificate. The main grievance concerned the requirement for users to specify the type of election for which they were submitting their file, a condition seen as problematic because it limits some candidates’ ability to submit their candidacy for multiple elections at once.
In response, the DGI explained that this feature was intended to prioritize the processing of requests according to the deadlines imposed by the Commission Électorale Nationale Autonome (CENA), which vary from one election to another. It then reconfigured the platform as of September 17, 2025 to remove this constraint.
Persistent dissatisfaction
Despite this change, Les Démocrates remain dissatisfied. Guy Dossou Mitokpè said the adjustments do not fully address the party’s initial concerns.
“The points we raised were very relevant. The argument about lack of time put forward by the Directorate does not hold,” he declared. He asked in particular: “Why must one indicate the election for which they will be a candidate?”
The opposition party recalls that Article 41 of the Electoral Code, amended in March 2024, simply requires a tax clearance certificate for the three years preceding the date of filing a candidacy, with no obligation to specify the type of election. Les Démocrates fear that this requirement on the platform constitutes a subtle form of exclusion of candidates, particularly those from the opposition.
The party is calling for greater transparency in the management of the platform and for all legal conditions to be respected without additions perceived as political filters. They want the tax clearance certificate to remain a purely administrative document, issued according to the electoral code’s requirements, without additional conditions that could limit candidacies.
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