The Bogotá Mayor’s Office has once again brought to the table a new tax reform, focused on the modernization of public lighting towards an intelligent system, with LED technology and integration of security cameras and sensors to detect emergencies.
The project aims to modernize the city’s poles, achieving the replacement of 100 percent of the luminaires with LED technology.
Additionally, it seeks to install elements such as video surveillance cameras and environmental sensors to identify, with the help of artificial intelligence, situations like thefts, fires, or floods.
Each pole could become a multifunctional infrastructure that not only lights up the city but can also contribute to improving security, mobility, and response to risk situations.
To finance this transformation, the District proposes a surcharge on the property tax, with differentiated rates depending on the property.
“We want to propose to the city an intelligent system, protecting those who cannot afford to pay. This lighting charge would not affect strata 1, 2, and 3, while for the other residential strata we would be talking about a property tax surcharge of 0.4 per 1,000,” said Ana María Cadena, Bogotá’s Secretary of Finance, in an interview with EL TIEMPO.
Of the 2,255,421 properties registered in Bogotá, 869,955, that is 38.6 percent, would be required to pay the new surcharge.
In this regard, those who would be required to assume a new cost on their property tax bill are strata 4 (11,000 pesos monthly), 5 (19,000 pesos), and 6 (29,000 pesos).
For commercial properties, an average monthly payment equivalent to 67,000 pesos is estimated.
“From the Finance Secretariat, we are doing everything so that it can be paid, for example, if desired, in four installments. Commercial, industrial, and other use properties would also contribute with a rate of 1 per 1,000. For example, a business valued at 500 million pesos would pay 500,000 pesos per year and could defer it into four installments of 125,000 pesos,” said Cadena.
Financial properties would have to contribute with a property tax rate of 195,000 pesos monthly, while lots would pay 48,000 pesos and institutional properties a payment of 200,000 pesos.
The agreement project has already been filed with the Bogotá Council and its official presentation is expected in the coming days, where it will face debates to determine its approval.
It is important to note that last year the District presented a similar tax statute reform and ended up withdrawing it in the Bogotá Council. In this second attempt by the administration, some council members have shown their opposition to increases in the tax for citizens.
NICOLÁS DÍAZ MALPICA
Bogotá Editorial Team
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