Paying my taxes

Went to the municipal building yesterday to pay the taxes - no problems at all - took maybe 15 minutes in total and the increase was not nearly as much as I was expecting - still under $100 a year. Went to pay the water bill - another story altogether - over two hours waiting and a large increase from last year, from aprox. 3000 up to over 5000 pesos - I am getting a meter installed for this year onward. Lots of people filling out the discount application after being called up to the counter so things moved at a snail's pace.

I had the same unpleasant reaction to the increase in my water bill. Last year it was 1800 pesos and this year it was 2900 pesos.  I was unaware that there is a discount available. Does anyone know what the requirements are for the discount?

papa chango wrote:I had the same unpleasant reaction to the increase in my water bill. Last year it was 1800 pesos and this year it was 2900 pesos.  I was unaware that there is a discount available. Does anyone know what the requirements are for the discount?

You must use a lot of water,our bill averages 50 pesos a month and has for the last ten years.

They are jacking up everybodys water bill to force people to get meters installed. One client was charged 1,500 pesos to have them install a meter, they used to pay a flat rate of $1,700 per year but this year it would have been raised to $2,800 pesos so we opted to have the meter installed. My water bill is usually the minimum so they will see a 50% reduction the 2nd year as the first year would be the same as the flat rate factoring in the meter installation.

What will they do with all this extra revenue? Use it to pay for more 45,000 pesos urinals or find some other clever way or allowing those on their way out to abscond with it

Spencer: please respond if know the answer. How do city officials steal money from the municipio coffers? Do checks have to be signed by two people? Do they award contracts to non-existent companies or fantasma people? How do fantasma people get their pay if they never show up to collect it? How does all the paper, pens, paperclips, etc. get stolen just before the fiscal year is up? I just want to know what checks and balances are, or are not, in play in order to prevent such massive theft.

How would you estimate whether it is cheaper with a meter versus flat rate?

We have a pool, two ponds and a lot of landscaping. Depending on the rate, a meter could really put a burn on an already pretty high bill.

What I love is that on top of said high bill, we spend a great deal of money pressurizing and treating the non potable water they supply here on a part time basis. On a per gallon basis, we spend twice as much here for water and sewer as we did in Albuquerque.

SIMAPA is another example of Mexican government inefficiency, corruption and gouging IMO. Very much like CFE.

Obviously, you need to split your line from the street to house water and yard/pool water.  I would think the cost would be recouped quickly.

viajero wrote:

papa chango wrote:I had the same unpleasant reaction to the increase in my water bill. Last year it was 1800 pesos and this year it was 2900 pesos.  I was unaware that there is a discount available. Does anyone know what the requirements are for the discount?

You must use a lot of water,our bill averages 50 pesos a month and has for the last ten years.

I have no water meter. I think they base the water bill in my case on usage because I have 2 full baths and a half bath.  However, there's only one person that lives here full time and occasionally friends come over and use the facilities.  I mentioned this fact last year when I paid my water bill but it didn't seem to matter.

Water bills are based upon the number of bedrooms, pools, etc.; as well as the amount of garden space that is unpaved. The number of inhabitants is not taken into consideration, as it is a variable factor.

[quote="Mainecoons"]How would you estimate whether it is cheaper with a meter versus flat rate?

We have a pool, two ponds and a lot of landscaping.  Depending on the rate, a meter could really put a burn on an already pretty high bill.

What I love is that on top of said high bill, we spend a great deal of money pressurizing and treating the non potable water they supply here on a part time basis.  On a per gallon basis, we spend twice as much here for water and sewer as we did in Albuquerque.

SIMAPA is another example of Mexican government inefficiency, corruption and gouging IMO.  Very much like CFE.

The solution seems quite clear.......... MOVE BACK TO ALBUQUERQUE

Funny, I have no problems paying for utilities here. Then again, I do not have "a pool, two ponds and extensive landscaping." You pay for what you get.

2 recent examples of theft that came out in news articles were the exorbitant amount paid for the lights on the highway which seem to not work after 2 years and the urinals that cost $45,000 pesos each when I have seen them for 2,000 to 3,000. Couple that with hiring family who never shows up and cronies from your party that extort and that is a start. Nobody really investigates and one party isnt likely to finger their own members and file criminal complaints.

Many people work in government jobs as nobody would hire them in the private sector and they do this 4 to 6 year cycle where they get work due to political party connections, not intelligence or competence and then it is rob and steal before your time is up so you can survive until your party or friends are back in office.

SIMAPAs flat rate is based upon number of bedrooms, baths, garden space and if you have a pool. Many people are underpaying due to friends helping them have a low flat rate so I think that they are trying to smoke people out by jacking rates and installing meters. Meter installation used to cost $500 pesos, then they did it for free on certain downtown properties and now it is $1,500.

I would love to measure how much water we use especially in the garden. Can you buy meters that could be put on garden hoses and then removed?

"... we spend a great deal of money pressurizing and treating the non potable water they supply here...."

What was the process you used to determine that the water is not potable?

Gosh Spencer, here you are pointing out the reality of SIMAPA.  Clearly you should move back to Albuquerque too.

In your dreams, Marty, in your dreams.

martygraw wrote:

Mainecoons wrote:How would you estimate whether it is cheaper with a meter versus flat rate?

We have a pool, two ponds and a lot of landscaping.  Depending on the rate, a meter could really put a burn on an already pretty high bill.

What I love is that on top of said high bill, we spend a great deal of money pressurizing and treating the non potable water they supply here on a part time basis.  On a per gallon basis, we spend twice as much here for water and sewer as we did in Albuquerque.

SIMAPA is another example of Mexican government inefficiency, corruption and gouging IMO.  Very much like CFE.

The solution seems quite clear.......... MOVE BACK TO ALBUQUERQUE

https://www.google.com/?gws_rd=ssl#q=albuquerque+weather

Damn cold!

artesialulu wrote:"... we spend a great deal of money pressurizing and treating the non potable water they supply here...."

What was the process you used to determine that the water is not potable?

No water is potable here. If the pressure drops to zero (like it does all the time) water can leak in the pipes and thus contamination. Yes people here drink the water but I would not. You can do a lab test to test your water but unless it is filtered and has a UV light water here is not safe AT ALL TIMES. TDM meters are useful to measure contamination but all the minerals in the water show up in the reading so not such a useful thing here.

Yep, there's a reason for all those bottled water sellers.  Also, all those guys who will clean your aljibe for you to remove all that dirt and crud that SIMAPA sells you along with the water at elevated prices.

Zed has it exactly right.  They put great water into a crappy, leaky distribution system that they periodically allow to go dry which guarantees that polluted outside water is going to get into the lines and hence into your water supply.

It's too bad as the water starts out very high quality and pure.