In Mexico, artists pay taxes with paintings

Tax day is quickly approaching and many Americans may be scrambling to file their taxes and fork over a chunk of money to the federal government. But imagine if instead of paying taxes in the form of money, you could give the government a piece of art. That’s the arrangement in Mexico, where the government has been allowing artists to offer pieces of art instead of paying income tax since 1957. It’s resulted in a masterful art collection housed and displayed in Mexico City.

We talk with Julian Zugazagoitia, the director of El Museo del Barrio in New York City, about the tax program and what it says about the importance of art in Mexican culture.