Real Estate Taxes

Well I paid the remainder of the real estate taxes yesterday. There are 2 taxes you pay on property: 1) Contribucion Inmobelieria (Real Estate Tax) and 2) Impuesta Primaria (School Tax). The Contribucion can be paid in any number of payment plans. Ours seems to be 6 payments per year (1 every other month). The payment amounts to about $42 per month. Of course you must remember that this pays for twice a week trash pickup. And they pick up everything. Any trash that you can bag (or even set out next to the trash area) is picked up (green, trash, concrete debris- whatever). I also covers street lighting (and there is a nice light right on our corner) and road improvements. Every year the main roads are re-graded and topped off with fresh rock. The roads being unpaved will look good for the tourist season, and the first big rain causes the ruts and holes to reappear (such is life in the slow lane).

The Impuesta is even more reasonable (less than $3 per month). And of course the school system if very good here and most Uruguayans are very well educated and have access to free education up through college (should they choose to use it).

So the taxes on a seaside house, with unobstructed beach views in a nice neighborhood ends up being about $44/month or a little over $500 per year. I think this is a tax burden we can live with.