The Togolese Revenue Office’s (OTR) institutional framework will be modernized in Togo to conform to global norms. On Thursday, February 13, 2025, at the Council of Ministers, the executive passed a bill to improve the effectiveness and governance of the organization in charge of collecting taxes and customs fees.
In practical terms, this entails strengthening the structure’s governance, maximizing the board of directors’ performance, and creating a dynamic to guarantee the expeditious completion of administrative processes. This reform aligns with the executive branch’s efforts to modernize the administration and ensure greater transparency in the mobilization of public resources.
Actually, the findings of the OTR performance audit conducted between 2014 and 2018 will serve as the foundation for this institutional framework review, which suggests incorporating internationally recognized best practices into the operation of the Togolese tax system.
By guaranteeing optimal revenue management and streamlining communications with taxpayers, the goal is to increase the institution’s efficiency. The government claims that “this initiative should contribute to strengthening the country’s attractiveness and consolidating its policy of mobilizing domestic resources.”
Notably, the OTR, which has been in operation since 2014, serves as the framework for tax and duty collection, which funds the state budget. Thus, there has been a remarkable 116% increase in tax revenues between 2014 and 2023. Official data shows that the OTR collected 991 billion FCFA in 2023, up from 458.2 billion FCFA in its first year of operation.
