Process of Paying Land Tax in Panama
Process of Paying Land Tax in Panama
The following is the process that you need to follow to pay your land tax in Panama. This is a new tax that, albeit small, is now required of all owners of property in Panama. Thanks to Fred for providing his experience on how to pay this land tax.
First, you’ll need to go to the MEF building, or Ministerio de Economia y Finanzas (right behind the Alcaldia on Avenida Cuba) with your deed, go to the “Atencion a los Contribuyentes” line, an employee will tell you then how much you owe and will give you your RUC number. You then go to any Banco Nacional (no other banks will accept payment), fill out a “boleta multiple de pago de tributos” that they have there, and pay what you owe on the land tax.
The new tax land tax is 1% of the land value assigned to your apartment, in my case it was US$79 per year.
When you are at the MEF, you might also want to go to the 3rd floor (segundo piso aqui) and ask for a NIT number, which will allow you to access your account online and make payments in the future.
This may be a stupid question but can you tell me the process of home valuations/inspections for the purpose of bank loans? Who are the verified companies that do this and how does one get ahold of them?
Thanks, keep up the great work.
Broc, nice to hear from you! As you know, banks are still lending to foreigners here in Panama, however every bank has separate loan criteria. Basically, when you a apply for a loan, banks will pair you up with an approved appraising agency that will perform the inspection and submit the results to the loan officer with the bank. TSome banks are capping their lending based on per square meter price per area, while others are going off of strictly a percentage of loan to value. Hope this helps!