House committee holds hearing on bill to exempt municipalities from CRIM tax debt when acquiring properties

A House of Representatives committee held a public hearing Oct. 22, 2025, in Hearing Room 1 on Proyecto de la Ce1mara 591 (P. de la C. 591), a bill to amend Article 7.071 of the Código Municipal de Puerto Rico to exempt municipalities from paying accumulated municipal tax debt to the Centro de Recaudacif3n de Ingresos Municipales (CRIM) on properties the municipality acquires by purchase, expropriation, donation or acquisitive prescription.

The measure drew support from the Federación de Alcaldes de Puerto Rico and the Asociacif3n de Alcaldes de Puerto Rico, which told the committee the exemption would ease upfront fiscal burdens that often make rehabilitating or repurposing abandoned properties infeasible. Javier Garceda Cintrf3n, CRIM's interim director, told the committee the agency is "de acuerdo con el proyecto" and said the bill would give municipalities additional acquisition tools. Verf3nica Rodredguez, executive director of the Asociacif3n de Alcaldes, urged a straightforward exemption and said that under current reimbursement rules CRIM retains "cerca de un 25 o un 30 por 100" of reimbursed amounts.

Why it matters: Presenters said the current requirement that municipalities pay outstanding municipal tax debt…