Dear Sir,
Dale Palfrey’s article in last week’s Reporter (“Foreigners cut out from tax breaks for seniors”) stated that senior discounts for water and property taxes would be restricted to Mexican citizens or foreigners who have acquired Mexican citizenship.
Jalisco has the legal authority to impose taxes and the local governments of Chapala, Jocotepec and Poncitlan can follow similar formulas. However, this policy is discriminatory and essentially a “Gringo Tax.”
This policy is “Penny Wise – Pound Foolish.” In the near term, it may gain some minor additional tax revenues, but it does little to make us feel welcome. This policy does not seem to value the revenue stream for home construction, the additional employment foreigners generate. Nor does it seem to value the tourism revenues that a warm and welcoming reputation brings. It’s a policy that could invoke the “Law of Unintended Consequences.”
In a broader sense, this policy undercuts the moral arguments to improve the status of Mexicans residing in the United States, many illegally. It rings hollow to demand fairness in the United States, while denying it in Mexico.
So if bienvenido from Mexico gets converted to adios from us, so be it! Or as our amigos, say, ni modo.
Gary Smith, San Antonio Tlayacapan
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