Juárez mayor-elect’s El Paso home gets tax break - El Paso Times
EL PASO — Since 1997, the Juárez mayor-elect and his wife have received tax relief on a home in El Paso because they declared it their primary residence. But they said Tuesday they have always lived in Juárez.
Héctor Murguía won Sunday’s mayoral race for the second time in Juárez.
Murguía said he and his wife both live in Juárez and have “vacation homes” in El Paso, Ruidoso and Mexico City. The current mayor, José Reyes Ferriz, has denied accusations that he lives in El Paso to shield his family from the drug cartel violence.
Murguía’s wife, Patricia Murguía, applied for a homestead exemption soon after they bought the home in 1996. Patricia Murguía, a housewife, is a U.S. and Mexican citizen.
The Texas homestead exemption provides tax relief and protects property from creditors’ claims. Property owners can have only their main residence homesteaded.
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