Mérida, Yucatán — Restored homes in the historic district would be exempt from property taxes under a proposed stimulus plan.
Yes, there’s a catch. To qualify for the tax benefit, property owners must perform a physical survey of the property and submit an architectural plan focused on its conservation. The home must be considered historic.
The application must also be approved by INAH, the federal agency that guards the country’s heritage, and then presented to Mérida’s Dirección de Desarrollo Urbano, which will supervise the job.
The plan doesn’t include homes that have already been renovated or restored.
For properties not considered historical monuments, but which are within the zona de rescate, the director of urban development, Aref Karam Espósitos, said that incentives and tax discounts will be offered. The discounts will depend on the nature of the renovation, but should focus on the conservation of the building, he said.
The city also offers tax discounts for homes with solar panels and for paying inside an early deadline.
And homes not considered historic, but in the historic zone and being restored, would get a discount on their property taxes, under the plan forwarded by the director of urban development, Aref Karam Espósitos.
“This is just one of several measures that the City Council will promote to protect, recover, preserve and disseminate the cultural heritage of the city,” said the official. “As always, we will have the valuable advice and support of the National Institute of Anthropology and History.”
Karam Espósitos stressed that Mérida is a city with its own identity, which has a great natural, cultural and historical wealth that must be protected, conserved, recovered and disseminated among its inhabitants and visitors.
To achieve this, the City Council, within the scope of its abilities, carries out a series of programs and measures, with help and advice from INAH, he said.
Such is the case of the ongoing façade rescue program under which the integrity and attractiveness of many properties in the Historic Center have been restored.
Since launching over 20 years ago, more than 1,000 historic properties in the Centro have been given a facelift under the Programa de Rescate de Fachadas del Ayuntamiento de Mérida.
Source: Diario de Yucatán
