Togo to tighten tax stamp inspections after low compliance rates

Economic governance

Tuesday, 27 January 2026 13:15

Togo to tighten tax stamp inspections after low compliance rates

(Togo First) - Togo’s rollout of its Automated Marking System (SAM) is struggling, with inspections showing widespread non-compliance despite the system being mandatory since September 2020.

Recent inspection and outreach campaigns, particularly in the Centrale and Kara regions, uncovered persistent weaknesses in distribution networks and low adoption by economic operators.

In the Centrale region, only 30% of inspected products were properly marked, according to findings presented in Sokode after a nationwide inspection carried out from Jan. 6 to Jan. 13, 2026. Inspectors checked 67,506 products across all prefectures.

“We scanned 67,506 products and found that only 30% were marked,” said Essotina Single, executive director of the commission overseeing the SAM. “We also observed low rates of stamp activation and cases of fraudulent imports, notably from Ghana.”

Esso-Wavana Ahmed Adoyi, president of the same commission, described the compliance rate as unacceptable and warned that enforcement would soon tighten.

“The 30% compliance rate recorded in the Centrale region is abnormal,” he said. “We are currently in an awareness phase, but operators who fail to comply after this period will face sanctions under existing law.”

Low compliance in Kara region

A similar pattern emerged in the Kara region, where inspectors examined 103,801 products during a mission conducted from Jan. 15 to Jan. 21. Of these, 36,082 were compliant, representing a compliance rate of about 35%, leaving nearly two-thirds of products in circulation unmarked.

“Inspection teams travelled through prefectures, communes and villages for several days, but the results show that uptake of the reform remains limited,” Adoyi said at the presentation of the findings in Kara.

Authorities say the marking system carries both regulatory and fiscal significance. Beyond improving product traceability and curbing fraud, the scheme is designed to protect consumers and strengthen tax revenue collection.

“Secure tax stamping should not be seen solely as a regulatory obligation, but as a tool to protect businesses, enhance product value and promote fair competition on the national market,” said Tchimbiandja Yendoukoa Douti, acting governor of the Centrale region.

Local authorities have urged economic operators to fully comply with the system, warning that inspections will intensify as the awareness phase draws to a close, with penalties gradually enforced in line with the regulations.

Ayi Renaud Dossavi

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