Governor Alejandro Armenta Mier maintained that the administrative collaboration agreements with municipalities do not represent a dispossession of resources or an infringement on their autonomy, but rather a strategy to combat the backlog in property tax payments and access 30 percent of the surplus revenue from the Municipal Development Fund.
“In the municipalities, there is a backlog of up to 60 percent in property tax collection, and we are not going to take resources away from the municipalities; we are going to help them,” he affirmed.
In a press conference, the governor explained that the purpose of this initiative is to strengthen the municipalities’ public finances through the use of the technical infrastructure and payment points already in place by the state government.
He recalled that a few years ago the Fiscal Coordination Law was created, and since then, municipalities have begun to receive revenue sharing and resources have been decentralized.
“The biggest problem for municipalities is generating their own revenue, and what the states are trying to do is collect more so that, in turn, we receive more federal funding. What has been lacking in recent years is the connection between the municipality and the state to create a cohesive system for the three levels of government in financial matters,” he explained.
In that regard, Armenta Mier indicated that they are working on a plan throughout the six-year term to increase their own revenue while maintaining administrative efficiency.
“If we have already managed to dismantle the ‘circles of corruption’ inherited from the Baroque Museum, the CIS (Integrated Services Center), and other payment commitments disguised as public debt, which cause financial harm to the state and prevent investment in security, health, and education, it would be administratively incorrect not to address the issue of property taxes, which has nothing to do with taking away municipal autonomy,” he stated.
He clarified that there is no obligation for municipalities to join this strategy.
The head of the Planning and Finance Secretariat, Daniela Pérez Calderón, specified that 90 of Puebla’s 217 municipalities have already formalized this coordination agreement for property tax collection.
She indicated that this scheme is not an isolated or imposed measure, but rather is based on the current legal framework.
“It is important to highlight that at the national level, 891 municipalities in 26 states have these coordination agreements. This allows them to access 30 percent of the surplus revenue from the Municipal Development Fund,” she explained.
The official emphasized that the sovereignty of the municipalities remains intact and denied that the state intends to withhold federal revenue sharing or the municipalities’ own income.
“The objective is solely for the municipalities to have greater technical infrastructure. The state supports the municipalities to improve their collection processes without affecting their autonomy or sovereignty,” she stated.
He added that, with the reform to the Fiscal Coordination Law of the State of Puebla carried out on March 15, 2026, the aim is for more municipalities to achieve the necessary financial efficiency to translate taxes into works and direct actions for the benefit of the citizens of Puebla.
Source: lajornadadeoriente
