**Burgueño Withdraws Multi-Year Contracts from 2025 Revenue Law**
In a notable move, the municipal president Ismael Burgueño Ruiz has decided to retract his plan to establish multi-year contracts intended to ensure the financial sustainability of strategic projects and essential services. This decision comes as he announced to legislators the removal of this concept from Article 11 of the 2025 Revenue Law, which was proposed for 12.5 billion pesos.
Municipal Treasurer Víctor Ramos Gómez highlighted that 45% of the city’s property owners, mainly those with vacant or rustic lots, do not pay property tax. Furthermore, Tijuana ranks second worst at the per capita level for collecting this tax. To address this, starting in January, a foreclosure program focusing on medium to large industrial and commercial establishments will commence, excluding small businesses and residential properties from immediate action.
The proposed approach for the coming year is to levy a property tax based on 100% of the construction value, aligning with federal standards to avoid legal disputes over property taxes and attract more federal and state resources. However, for residential properties, a decree will be issued to levy taxes on 25% of the construction value from January to March, progressing to 50% from April to December of 2025. Buildings with five or more floors will receive a fiscal incentive, taxed at 50% of the construction value for the first quarter and 75% thereafter.
According to Ramos Gómez, using the 2020 tax table for the upcoming fiscal year, instead of the 2015 version, will not impact vulnerable sectors. For instance, residents of La Morita will continue to pay 437 pesos, keeping it unchanged from 2024. In contrast, those in Playas will see an increase of 184 pesos, an 11.4% rise.
For industrial use properties, such as those in the Otay Industrial City, the increase will be 22,658 pesos (6.27%), while commercial properties in Zona Río will see a rise of 63 pesos (6.0%). Overall, the municipal administration aims to collect 1.34 billion pesos from property taxes, marking a 15.90% increase.
During the session on December 2, 2024, a legislator from the PVEM, Jorge Ramos Hernández, proposed an addendum to the Revenue Law project, suggesting a 0.5% surcharge for security purposes, potentially raising over 120 million pesos to better equip police and fire services. In response, the PAN representative Santa Alejandrina Corral Quintero expressed regret over the annual increase in property tax that remains inadequate in terms of enforcement and service quality for compliant taxpayers.
—
**In Related News: New Fiscal Strategies Discussed**
Amidst these developments, discussions surrounding fiscal strategies and their implications for residents and businesses in Tijuana continue to evolve. Officials are grappling with the dual challenge of increasing tax compliance while ensuring that services match the expected standards for contributors. This delicate balance remains a topic of considerable debate as municipal leaders seek to enhance the city’s financial health and public service offerings without disproportionately burdening any single group.
Additionally, there is a growing emphasis on utilizing technology to streamline tax collection and improve transparency. Possible integrations of digital payment platforms and enhanced tracking systems are under consideration to foster greater accountability and ease for taxpayers.
Municipal leaders are keenly aware that these strategies need to be both robust and adaptive to future needs, particularly as Tijuana positions itself as a pivotal player in regional economic development.