Petro warns he may remove the mayors who do not resolve property tax rates

Bogotá.- The President of Colombia, Gustavo Petro, warned this Monday that mayors who do not promote adjustments in property tax rates may be removed from office, one week after protests and blockades in the department of Santander (east) over the increase in cadastral valuations. "Mayors who do not present the agreement initiatives, disrupt public order and are immediately removed from their position by my order," the president stated on X. The protests, led by farming communities, are mainly concentrated in the toll sector of the municipality of Lebrija and have caused restrictions on mobility towards the Palonegro International Airport of Bucaramanga, capital of Santander, impacting passengers, public transport, and economic activities in the region. Property tax is a local tax paid by property owners and is calculated based on the cadastral appraisal and a rate set by the municipalities. If the appraisal goes up, the amount to be paid also increases, which caused the protests.

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«The tax situation is determined by the mayors and municipal councils, they set the rate. The only thing they have to do is that in a new agreement they lower the rate for urban and rural property owners of the poor and working population, nothing more is needed and it is done in 15 days», said the president.

Petro requests to lift the blockades

Petro maintained that the update of the tax amount responds to a legal obligation and compliance with the 2016 Peace Agreement - which contemplates the updating of the rural cadastre for greater equity in land distribution -, and defended that the measure seeks that "the rich pay taxes". However, he insisted that the amount of the tax is not defined by the national government, but by the municipal councils, which can adjust the rates to compensate for the increase in appraisals, so he transferred to the local authorities the responsibility of alleviating the burden on farmers and lower-income sectors.

«The governor of Santander is warned, his function is not to deceive his people by saying that the problem is the nation's, gather the mayors he coordinates and start working with them on the property tax agreements in the municipal councils of Santander», added the president.

The Head of State also asked to lift the blockades in Santander and warned that measures will be taken in accordance with the law if the protests persist, in order to guarantee public order and the supply of food.