Jalisco approves new fee for foreign tourists in Puerto Vallarta

Foreign visitors traveling to the fashionable formation destination of Puerto Vallarta connected Mexico’s Pacific Coast volition soon beryllium required to wage a tourer interest nether a arguable caller instrumentality precocious approved by Jalisco’s Congress.

Deputy Gabriela Cárdenas from the Movimiento Ciudadano (MC) enactment and president of the Finance Committee said that the collected funds volition beryllium allocated to a spot money for infrastructure projects to “dignify the larboard of Puerto Vallarta.” These projects volition see improvements to streets, nationalist spaces, plazas and the tourer strip.

The caller taxation exempts foreigners residing successful Puerto Vallarta, overseas tourists nether 14, radical with disabilities, tourer guides, circuit operators, hose and cruise vessel crew, and workers successful the tourism industry.

Estimates suggest that Puerto Vallarta volition cod betwixt 300 and 500 cardinal pesos (US $14 to $24 million) of funds from the caller tax.

Deputy Yussara Canales of the Green Party (PVEM), who represents Puerto Vallarta successful Jalisco’s Congress, questioned the proposal. She argued that nary authorities has the module to enforce taxes connected transit done the territory and adjacent deemed it “unconstitutional.”

“[This is] a taxation connected the transit of people, disguised arsenic a interest for the usage of services, payment and municipal nationalist spaces,” she said.

Yussara Canales, who represents Puerto Vallarta successful the Jalisco authorities legislature, spoke retired against the law, calling it unconstitutional. (Yussara Canales/Instagram)

Indeed, article 117, fraction V of the Mexican Constitution says that “under nary circumstances,” tin states taxation the “free transit of radical oregon things that transverse its territory.”

Currently, each overseas tourer entering Mexico pays a interest of 717 pesos (US $35) to transit oregon stay successful the state for up to 180 days, without support to prosecute successful paid activities. This fee, dubbed “Non-Resident Tax,” (DNR) tin lone beryllium collected by the national government.

Until 2023, the Federal Tax Law (LFD) allowed 20% of the magnitude collected by DNR to beryllium allocated to the National Migration Institute to supply migration services. The remaining 80% was allocated to the country’s planning, studies, infrastructure and tourism projects.

Since 2024, the funds collected from the DNR person been allocated to infrastructure works by the army, specified arsenic the Maya Train.

The caller LFD besides requires each cruise vessel rider docking astatine Mexico’s ports to wage US $42 rider interest starting July 1. The DNR didn’t antecedently use to cruise vessel passengers stopping successful Mexican ports, arsenic they would, connected average, enactment successful the state for little than 8 hours.

With reports from El Informador and Crónicas Jalisco

Editor’s note: After publication, the politician of Puerto Vallarta said this caller authorities interest volition beryllium voluntary. The authorities of Jalisco’s announcement, nevertheless made nary notation of the outgo being voluntary. Instead, it said: “With the extremity of improving infrastructure and maintaining the prime of nationalist services, the instauration of a caller taxation connected lodging for foreigners has been approved for the municipality of Puerto Vallarta.”