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Por: Roger Van Voorhees
Campo Pagado
As an investor in the island of Guanaja, Honduras, I was attracted to it by the stories I heard on its prolific tourism and great fishing industry.
The place is absolutely beautiful, full of natural wonders such as its beaches, coral reefs and other marine life. It´s the only island in the Bay Islands with naturally flowing fresh water. Its people are amazing and made me feel welcome since the first day I arrived.
Throughout my years investing in Guanaja I have encountered the good and the bad. The good will hopefully stay the same or increase, but I feel we need to address the second one with constructive criticism. To follow, a small list of things I believe the Guanaja Municipal government should/must improve on:
- A good management of the Municipal garbage dump, since I understand waste is filtering to the ocean as well as damaging adjacent properties.-The environment, private property, as well as the beauty of the island need to be protected.
- Transparency in the management of the economic resources they receive through our taxes, the Honduran government and other sources. At least a yearly public report should be published for all the taxpayers to know how much money was collected, how and where these funds were used, as well as the content of the Municipal Council´s minutes. It´s necessary for taxpayers to receive the before said information regarding at least the last three (3) years and continue doing so.
- As an investor in the real estate market abroad, I find that the Municipal values for properties are not in accordance to reality, since a property needs to be valued according to several conditions, such as but not limited to: Accessibility, location, public services (such as electricity, water, garbage removal, etc.) that benefit it and its general geography.
- We have found that in other parts of Honduras the Municipalities provide the taxpayers geo-referenced surveys of their properties, a legal obligation when you wish to transfer place your property to a third party or simply have your property up to code.
The previous are some of the items I believe should/must be addressed, thus contributing with the island´s economical growth, regaining it´s old glory and thus, attracting more foreign and national investment.
Is there something YOU think should/must be added to the list above?
Thank you for reading.
Roger Van Voorhees