Esta ley ordena a la Administración de Terrenos de Puerto Rico a cancelar la deuda contributiva heredada de la Asociación Maunabeña de Pequeños Agricultores, Inc., por concepto de contribuciones sobre la propiedad de terrenos arrendados para fines agrícolas. También requiere la concesión de un permiso para la instalación y operación de un sistema de riego por goteo financiado por el Departamento de Agricultura.
(Approved September 3, 2004)
To direct the Land Administration of Puerto Rico to cancel the transferred tax debt of Asociación Maunabeña de Pequeños Agricultores, Inc., on account of property taxes on the lands leased to said Administration for agricultural purposes; to request the granting of a permit necessary to begin the installation and operation of an irrigation system financed with economic resources available in the Department of Agriculture.
The Asociación Maunabeña de Pequeños Agricultores, Inc. is a nonprofit institution, registered in the Department of State of Puerto Rico under registration number 30,645. The same has business offices in Maunabo, specifically at RR PR 759 Ramal 7762 Km. 0, Hm. 2 Barrio Palo Seco.
Precisely, this organization of farmers renders services to the small farmers of the area. It manages a variety of equipment, such as a Caterpillar D-5, received from the Office of ASDA in Patillas, a Ford Country 1164 tractor owned by ASDA in Las Piedras, and additional equipment from several government agencies.
The Asociación has been receiving invoices for the payment of taxes on leased lands, property of the Land Administration of Puerto Rico. The invoices for the taxes from 1989 to 1991, approximately, total $50,652. The Asociación does not have the necessary resources to pay the taxes on their leased property. The debt corresponds to years preceding the current Board
of Directors, which have been adequately meeting all its responsibilities since 1998 until today.
Beginning in 2000, the Asociación requested a tax exemption for the leased lands, through Act No. 225, and such exemption has been granted year after year, for which they keep their current responsibilities up to date.
The Asociación de Agricultores submitted a proposal to the Office of Agricultural Infrastructure of the Department of Agriculture, seeking a grant to establish and operate a drip irrigation system for the 300 leased cuerdas, which was approved.
The Land Administration has not granted them permission to begin digging for two wells needed for the installation of the drip irrigation system, due to the outstanding transferred debt.
If such objection is not withdrawn and the necessary permits are not granted for the drip irrigation system, the funds currently available in the Department of Agriculture might be lost, thus causing serious harm to the hopes of the Asociación to exploit the land to its maximum, thus strengthening the intensive use of thereof.
Deeming highly meritorious the efforts of these Maunabo farmers in giving a boost to agriculture, it is fair that, as subsidies are granted to farmers with higher economic resources, the Asociación de Agricultores de Maunabo should be granted its request.
Section 1.-To direct the Land Administration of Puerto Rico to cancel the inherited debt of the Asociación Maunabeña de Pequeños Agricultores, Inc., due to property taxes on the lands leased to said administration for agricultural purposes.
Section 2.- The granting of the necessary permit is hereby required so that farmers may proceed to install and operate a drip irrigation system with the resources available for those purposes in the Department of Agriculture.
Section 3.- This Act shall take effect immediately after its approval.
I hereby certify to the Secretary of State that the following Act No. 249 (S.B. 2409) of the $7^{ ext {th }}$ Session of the $14^{ ext {th }}$ Legislature of Puerto Rico:
AN ACT to direct the Land Administration of Puerto Rico to cancel the transferred tax debt of Asociación Maunabeña de Pequeños Agricultores, Inc., on account of property taxes on the lands leased to said Administration for agricultural purposes; to request the granting of a permit necessary to begin the installation and operation of an irrigation system financed with economic resources available in the Department of Agriculture, has been translated from Spanish to English and that the English version is correct.
In San Juan, Puerto Rico, today $30^{ ext {th }}$ of August of 2005.
Francisco J. Domenech Director