Congress’s lower house raises fees on tourist and residency visas

Mexico’s Chamber of Deputies has conscionable passed authorities that aims to boost authorities revenues, chiefly by raising taxes and fees successful a fig of areas, including tourer and residency visas.

Othe taxation increases and terms hikes approved are amendments that volition origin summons prices to immoderate museums and archaeological sites to double, rise the levy connected brushed drinks, taxation  hydrating electrolyte beverages, and summation levies connected tobacco, casino gambling and video games

Mexico was a pioneer successful imposing taxes connected sodas and different sugary drinks, but the existent effort by Congress to summation the levy is drafting assertive pushback from the brushed portion companies. (Mario Jasso/Cuartscuro.com)

In immoderate cases, visas for foreigners to reside successful Mexico would much than treble if the authorities is approved by the Senate and the president.

For example, opening adjacent year, foreigners seeking impermanent one-year residency volition person to wage 11,140 pesos (US $606), up from 5,328 pesos (US $290); 

Those seeking a two-year licence indispensable wage 16,693 pesos (US $908), up from 7,984 pesos (US $434).

Three-year permits volition emergence from 10,112 pesos (US $550) to 21,142 pesos (US $1,150) and four-year permits volition summation from 11,984 (US $652) to 25,057 pesos (US $1,363). 

Permanent residency visas volition ascent from costing 6,494 pesos (US $353) to 13,578 pesos (US $738).

Prices for tourer visas volition ascent little significantly, from 860 pesos (US $47) to 983 pesos (US $51).

Although the model of the authorities volition beryllium sent to the Senate, the Chamber volition proceed to statement further amendments to the bill.

The soda taxation — an amendment to the IEPS Law, a Special Tax connected Production and Services created to power the usage of products that are harmful to wellness and the situation — has prompted brushed portion companies to lobby lawmakers aggressively against the tax. They person already had immoderate success.

Lawmakers defended the taxation connected electrolytes by pointing retired that the fashionable electrolyte beverage Electrolit acold exceeds the hydrating look recommended by the World Health Organization of 1.3 parts of glucose to each portion of salts and minerals. Electrolit contains 3.7 parts of glucose to each portion of salts and minerals.

Proponents of this taxation argued that Mexico’s treasury could person added much than 3 cardinal pesos (US $163 million) successful IEPS taxes and astir 9 cardinal pesos (US $489 million) successful value-added taxes from the Electrolit marque implicit the past 5 years, according to the mag Proceso.

Lobbyists besides sought to negociate little taxes connected sugar-free and low-calorie brushed drinks.

Senior Coca-Cola executives met with representatives of the Health Ministry this week, offering to gradually trim the sweetener contented of their brushed drinks by 30 percent.

In a associated property league with lawmakers from the ruling Morena enactment and Health Minister David Kershenobich, soda companies pledged to reformulate their products, motorboat caller presentations and serving sizes, grow their portfolio of low-sugar and zero-calorie beverages, portion besides expanding the marketplace for reduced- and no-sugar beverages. They besides promised to self-regulate their advertizing to trim the interaction of depletion connected children and adolescents.

As a result, deputies amended the measure during level debate, reducing the IEPS complaint connected beverages sweetened with non-caloric sweeteners — successful “light” oregon “zero” formats — from 3.08 pesos per liter to 1.5 pesos per liter.

Higher fees for culture

As for interest increases astatine museums and archaeological parks, tickets for precedence sites (including the Anthropology Museum, the Templo Mayor, the National History Museum astatine Chapultepec Castle, the Teotihuacán pyramids, Monte Albán and Tulum) volition emergence from 100 pesos (US $5.50) to 209 (US $11.35) pesos. Mexican nationals and foreigners with nonmigratory visas volition wage 104.50 (US $5.70) pesos. 

So-called secondary sites specified arsenic Tlatelolco, Malinalco and Tehuacán Viejo volition spot admittance prices ascent from 80 pesos (US $4.35) to 156.75 pesos (US $8.50) 

Prices astatine tertiary sites, including Puebla’s Guadalupe Fort, the Ex Convento successful Yanhuitlán and the Tenayuca pyramid,  volition emergence from 75 pesos (US $4.10) to 143.69 pesos (US $7.80). Just arsenic astatine precedence sites, Mexican nationals and foreigners with nonmigratory visas volition person 50% discounts.

With reports from El País, El Universal, La Jornada, Reforma and Proceso