With the residents of Carrasco in the boxes of the Departmental Board of Montevideoclaiming for an “excessive” increase in the property tax, the Director of Financial Resources of the Municipality of Montevideo (IM), Mauricio Zuninoattended the call to the room promoted by the opposition councillors.
Maria Eugenia Scognamiglio
Neighbors of Carrasco in the bars of the Departmental Board
The chief defended the increases and remarked during his presentation that 97% of the Montevideo registers were not affected by the increase and detailed how much the properties cost on average according to the increase range they had.
Maria Eugenia Scognamiglio
Mauricio Zunino and Olga Otegui in the room call
“There are properties that have increases between 0% and 10% between what would have been the contribution calculated by the 2022 scheme and compared to 2023. These are properties that on average pay a contribution of 97 thousand-odd pesos. In market value they walk in the 680 thousand dollars. The changes that go between 11% and 20%are properties that in the market value are estimated at 857 thousand dollars on averagethe rise from between 21% and 30% They are properties that have an average value of 1 million 517 thousand dollars, between 31% and 40% are properties of 3 million 596 thousand and the increase of between 41% and 50% are properties of average values of 4 million 760 thousand dollars in the market value,” said Zunino.
He White mayor Javier Barrios Bove He once again described the rise as a “tariff” and criticized that the increase also affects businesses, SMEs and affects the hotel sector. “A trade that generates jobs, how much more does it have to generate to pay the contribution? Aren’t we playing against the merchant?” the mayor wondered.
Maria Eugenia Scognamiglio
The mayor Javier Barrios Bove speaking at the Departmental Board
In turn, he asked if the hotels would have some kind of flexibility And if that would extend to other businesses. In this sense, the IM announced that the hotels will have modifications in their contributions to benefit them and not affect the tourism sector, although Zunino did not detail what the solution will be. The claim was made by the Hoteliers Association. However, the opposition mayor demanded that other businesses, such as clinics, residential homes for the elderly, factories or hotels with high turnover, also be considered. “It will be transferred to prices, by reducing the price margin, because the resources are going to have to come from somewhere”, considered Barrios Bove.
During the session, Barrios Bove shared a file audio of the Mayor Carolina Cosse who said during an interview: “there will be a small percentage increase in those properties that are worth more than 500 thousand dollars”. The opposition mayor said that the mayor “failed to tell the truth” when announcing that she increase in the contribution would be “a small percentage”.
Barrios Bove picked up two folders from his desk. In a black folder, full of papers, he said that he had receipts of contributions that the neighbors approached him, in which there are cases of increases of 40% or 50%. In another green folder he said he had more, but those were still unchecked. In this sense, the General Secretary of the IM, Olga Otegui, He criticized that the opposition did not deliver those receipts to the IM or that it met with the directors of the corresponding areas. “They cancel the meetings. Zunino canceled me twice,” Barrios Bove replied, considering that communication with the current administration is difficult and that the councilors’ queries are all sent by email.
Zunino, who avoided making political considerations and strictly referring to the numbers, explained that the modification of the aliquots were for bands five and six. Band five was left with an aliquot of 1.65 and band six of 1.80. “From the point of view of the contribution rate, none of the properties in the first four tranches had any modifications. There are 97% of the standards”said.
In turn, the IM considers that these increases are not wrong, because there is no established ceiling. In this sense, the Communication area of the commune had informed the media that “lat maximum rise” would be 28%, however, according to Zunino the information was transmitted erroneouslyas reported The Observer.
In turn, the director remarked that hIt will open “a reduction from the year 2024 of the standards that have a market value of less than 145 thousand dollars. That is, the patterns of bands one and two. These are 74% of the Montevideo census.”
