In an intense day marked by debate and dissent between the blocs, the Deliberative Council of Concordia held its first extraordinary session of the year this Friday. Under the presidency of the head of the Body and vice-mayor, Lic. Magdalena Reta de Urquiza, four fundamental Ordinance projects, promoted by the Municipal Executive, were processed and subsequently approved by majority.
The approved administrative case files, which promise to generate a significant impact on the management, economy, and urban planning of the city, were:
2026 Tax: the PJ bloc did not support the reduction of the municipal tax pressure
Upon concluding the session, Vice-Mayor Reta de Urquiza highlighted the "progress and impact" of the enacted ordinances. Regarding the 2026 Tax Ordinance, she detailed a series of modifications focused on alleviating the burden on specific sectors and partially updating the tax structure.
The enacted ordinance generated a broad debate. The councilors of the ruling party, Lic. Verónica del Boca, Dr. Felipe Sastre, Dr. Mauricio Rey, Celeste Fuscado, and Eliana Lagraña, justified their support and affirmative vote. For the La Libertad Avanza bloc, Yaiza Pessolani Bechet and Javier Aguilar also voted affirmatively; however, the PJ bloc, among other arguments, described the ordinance as regressive and extortionate, voting negatively. In this way, it obtained its approval by nine votes.
For councilor Claudia Villalba (PJ Bloc), the extraordinary session of the Deliberative Council was marked by a lack of deep debate, where the ruling party resorted to "undemocratic resources" and "chicanery" instead of responding to the opposition's arguments. The most critical point of her statement was the unprecedented omission of her presentation during the treatment of the projects. "This never happened in this chamber, that someone's testimony is omitted for that," stated Villalba, describing the conduct as "overwhelming" and a violation of the regulations.
The councilwoman announced that she will present a formal note of opposition to the Presidency, insisting that the handling by the ruling majority cannot nullify the right to debate and argue.
New Metered Parking
The new regulation is called "Concordia Parking Reorganization" and is a development program entirely municipal by the IT department and is compatible with the systems used by Traffic, Misdemeanor Courts, Revenue, and all areas inherent to this Ordinance.
The most heated debate on this point revolved around Article Four, which delegates to the Executive the power to regulate the value of metered parking. Although the opposition raised objections, arguing that the setting of amounts and tax costs is an exclusive power of the Deliberative Council, the motion did not prosper and the ordinance was approved in its original text. The ordinance obtained nine affirmative votes.
Open-Air Shopping Center
This ordinance, approved unanimously, is very simple and seeks to organize the downtown space, standardizing signage for the commercial area. The initiative contemplates the expansion of the pedestrian zone under the concept of "Pedestrian Priority Zone," a modern system that, as detailed by Reta de Urquiza, is used in the main cities of the country, restricting vehicular traffic to give priority to the pedestrian. This new area, which is called “Open-Air Shopping Center” will cover the metered parking zone plus an extension on Las Heras street.
Municipal Electronic Address
Finally, the creation of the Electronic Addresswas approved unanimously, compatible with the systems already used by ATER and ARCA. This system will allow notifications via email or telephone service. Its implementation will be gradual, initially coexisting with the traditional "door-to-door" notification, seeking to prevent the taxpayer from being "surprised" by unreceived notifications.
"Today we have taken a great step for the modernization of Concordia. Beyond the natural debate that exists in a democratic environment, the important thing is that the city now has crucial tools. With the new Tax Law, we are easing the tax burden on local commerce and property owners, while the Parking, the Shopping Center, and the Electronic Address place us at the forefront of organization and management. These are ordinances that demonstrate the Executive's will to have a more efficient government that is closer to the taxpayer. This is the path that will allow us to have a more orderly city with greater opportunities,” concluded Reta de Urquiza.
The approved administrative case files, which promise to generate a significant impact on the management, economy, and urban planning of the city, were:
- N°28.914: Ordinance Project “2026 Tax Ordinance”.
- N°28.915: Ordinance Project “Municipal Electronic Address”.
- N°28.916: Ordinance Project “Creation of the Concordia Open-Air Shopping Center”.
- N°28.917: Ordinance Project “Concordia Parking Reorganization”.
2026 Tax: the PJ bloc did not support the reduction of the municipal tax pressure
Upon concluding the session, Vice-Mayor Reta de Urquiza highlighted the "progress and impact" of the enacted ordinances. Regarding the 2026 Tax Ordinance, she detailed a series of modifications focused on alleviating the burden on specific sectors and partially updating the tax structure.
- Update of Minimums: A 30% increase is foreseen in the minimums, seeking a partial update in the face of the expected inflation for 2025. General tax rates remain unchanged.
- Commercial Relief (Tax Rate): The Commercial municipal tax rate for a broad sector decreases from 1.9% to 1.8%. In addition, the maximum annual amount to be invoiced in this category is updated, going from $3 billion to $4 billion annually. This adjustment seeks to ensure that the maximum rate (2.7%) is only applied to large foreign companies with billings exceeding $4 billion
- Lower Lighting Municipal Tax: A decrease in the Lighting municipal tax was ordered for residential users (frontage owners), going from 16% to 13%. There is a decrease in the municipal taxes of all categories. Reta de Urquiza clarified that, as a result, the maintenance of public lighting will be financed in part by general revenues, since the municipal tax itself will not be enough to cover the total cost.
- Elimination and Compensation: The Public Entertainment municipal tax was eliminated, considering that it was 10% on tickets sold and is difficult to audit. In part, 5%, which was destined for disability, will be compensated with a small increase of 0.4% in the Commercial municipal tax.
- Other Benefits: Specific benefits were included, such as the elimination of the Commercial municipal tax for taxi and remise company bases.
The enacted ordinance generated a broad debate. The councilors of the ruling party, Lic. Verónica del Boca, Dr. Felipe Sastre, Dr. Mauricio Rey, Celeste Fuscado, and Eliana Lagraña, justified their support and affirmative vote. For the La Libertad Avanza bloc, Yaiza Pessolani Bechet and Javier Aguilar also voted affirmatively; however, the PJ bloc, among other arguments, described the ordinance as regressive and extortionate, voting negatively. In this way, it obtained its approval by nine votes.
For councilor Claudia Villalba (PJ Bloc), the extraordinary session of the Deliberative Council was marked by a lack of deep debate, where the ruling party resorted to "undemocratic resources" and "chicanery" instead of responding to the opposition's arguments. The most critical point of her statement was the unprecedented omission of her presentation during the treatment of the projects. "This never happened in this chamber, that someone's testimony is omitted for that," stated Villalba, describing the conduct as "overwhelming" and a violation of the regulations.
The councilwoman announced that she will present a formal note of opposition to the Presidency, insisting that the handling by the ruling majority cannot nullify the right to debate and argue.
New Metered Parking
The new regulation is called "Concordia Parking Reorganization" and is a development program entirely municipal by the IT department and is compatible with the systems used by Traffic, Misdemeanor Courts, Revenue, and all areas inherent to this Ordinance.
The most heated debate on this point revolved around Article Four, which delegates to the Executive the power to regulate the value of metered parking. Although the opposition raised objections, arguing that the setting of amounts and tax costs is an exclusive power of the Deliberative Council, the motion did not prosper and the ordinance was approved in its original text. The ordinance obtained nine affirmative votes.
Open-Air Shopping Center
This ordinance, approved unanimously, is very simple and seeks to organize the downtown space, standardizing signage for the commercial area. The initiative contemplates the expansion of the pedestrian zone under the concept of "Pedestrian Priority Zone," a modern system that, as detailed by Reta de Urquiza, is used in the main cities of the country, restricting vehicular traffic to give priority to the pedestrian. This new area, which is called “Open-Air Shopping Center” will cover the metered parking zone plus an extension on Las Heras street.
Municipal Electronic Address
Finally, the creation of the Electronic Addresswas approved unanimously, compatible with the systems already used by ATER and ARCA. This system will allow notifications via email or telephone service. Its implementation will be gradual, initially coexisting with the traditional "door-to-door" notification, seeking to prevent the taxpayer from being "surprised" by unreceived notifications.
"Today we have taken a great step for the modernization of Concordia. Beyond the natural debate that exists in a democratic environment, the important thing is that the city now has crucial tools. With the new Tax Law, we are easing the tax burden on local commerce and property owners, while the Parking, the Shopping Center, and the Electronic Address place us at the forefront of organization and management. These are ordinances that demonstrate the Executive's will to have a more efficient government that is closer to the taxpayer. This is the path that will allow us to have a more orderly city with greater opportunities,” concluded Reta de Urquiza.