BajaNomad

Property tax discount for seniors

john68 - 11-8-2010 at 05:20 PM

This appeared in the Baja Pony Express last month:

I have just received instructions from the Director of Finance in the Municipal Govt. office in La Paz, Lic. Hassan Medina Perez, that to be eligible for the Senior discount on property taxes you must take a copy of your Senior card plus voters Id card in order to qualify. In other words you must be a Citizen of Mexico and prove it with your voters Id.
Dennis C. Riley

Does anyone else have any experience regarding this? When we were in Guadalajara last year, I read of an American holding an FM3 who successfully sued the Jalisco government over this. The article said there was a provision in the Mexican constitution prohibiting discrimination of this nature between Mexican citizens and legal residents.

Thanks.

DENNIS - 11-8-2010 at 05:28 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by john68
I read of an American holding an FM3 who successfully sued the Jalisco government over this. The article said there was a provision in the Mexican constitution prohibiting discrimination of this nature between Mexican citizens and legal residents.

Thanks.



They ammend their constitution with much more ease and regularity than the US does. Who knows what it might say today.

http://www.banderasnews.com/0802/edat-constitutionday.htm

longlegsinlapaz - 11-8-2010 at 06:52 PM

john68, location, location, location....depending on which tax jurisdiction you're in....

This year in the municipality of La Paz, the government is so desperate for funds to finish out the year, as well as pay all the government employees aguinaldo (Christmas bonus) that they got the annual property tax statements completed in October & offered a 40% discount for paying property taxes by October 31.

November is a 35% discount, December is 30%, January is 20%, February is 10% & there is no discount for March, the month they are actually due.

It is my understanding that not all municipalities off this early-payment discount program.

So bottom line, the senior discount card cannot be used in conjunction with any other existing discount. It's either or. The municipality discount was a much better deal than the senior discount card would be, so here it was a no-brainer.

If you are outside of the La Paz municipality, then your mileage may vary. My response doesn't answer your specific question, but it could conceivable make it a moot point if you are in the municipality of La Paz.

dtbushpilot - 11-8-2010 at 08:29 PM

Dennis owns a bill paying, immigration services company in Los Barriles...dt

oladulce - 11-9-2010 at 03:43 AM

Today we stopped by the catastro office for the Comundú municipality and asked about a discount for paying property taxes early. She seemed excited that we were offering to pay our taxes and said "sure, we'll give you a discount", but she thought we meant this years taxes. Told her we had paid for 2010, but wondered if we could get a special rate for paying early for 2011.

I got the impression that they rarely (never?) receive offers to pay taxes early in this office because she seemed perplexed. She said they won't have the paperwork or aren't set up to receive next year's taxes until after Jan. 1st., but if we come back after that they could arrange some kind of discount !

The concept of paying early threw them for a loop.