The Baja California Travel & Living Webzine

Taxes in Mexico: What are you up against?

As of 2004 the Mexican fiscal code has a new definition of  “tax resident”. Before 2004, a person needed to be in the country 183 days to be considered a tax resident. As of this year, tax residents are all those who have established an abode in Mexico irrespective of the time they have spent in the country. The law also provides that if they have one home in Mexico and another abroad, they are considered a tax resident in the place where they have their center of vital interests. Mexico will consider that that center of vital interests is in Mexico if over 50% of their income is derived from Mexican sources.

The main repercussion for the foreign residents is the effect it will have on the ability of foreign residents to obtain a homestead exemption on the sale of their principal residence in Mexico. If the homeowner has only one home, and that home is in Mexico, then they should be able to get a homestead exemption. However, if they have one home in Mexico and another in the US, it will be more difficult for the homeowner to get an exemption, especially if their income is not derived from Mexican sources.

In practice, it will be very difficult for the Notario, the attorney required by law to draft the deed and withhold taxes, to know if the homeowner has another home outside the country. However, I can see that some Notario’s may request to see a Mexican tax return to
 

I am always a little surprised at the number of people that we meet that believe Mexico is a bona fide tax haven. Mexico is a tax haven only to the extent that the country has not had the resources or will to enforce its own laws. In fact, the country has one of the lowest tax collections as a percentage of its GDP in Latin America and among the member nations of the Organization of Economic Co-operation and Development. The needs of the country and the demands of a new found sense of democracy are forcing the government to make its tax collections more efficient and fair, pursuant both to the existing laws and to the international tax treaties that Mexico has signed with several countries. The purpose of this article is to summarize the major taxes that the foreign community is exposed to in Mexico.

Tax Residence and Tax Treaties

Mexican tax residents are taxed differently than non-residents. As a general rule, non-residents are subject to higher taxes than residents.

The tax treaties Mexico has signed and local law establish who is a tax resident. Tax treaties also set forth the tax rates for different types of income. The main purposes of these treaties, however, are to provide the manner in which double taxation will be minimized, as well as to establish how countries will exchange information on their respective taxpayers. The Canadian and US tax treaties both establish that nationals of their country who are resident in Mexico may be subject to Mexican income taxes pursuant to local law.
 

prove that homeowner does in fact have his or her center of vital interest in the country.

The flip side is that those foreign residents that have a home in Mexico and abroad, and who derive most of their income from sources outside of Mexico, need not worry about reporting and paying Mexican income taxes. A clear example of these people are “snow birds” that spend six months in Mexico and six months abroad.

Income Taxes

Mexico taxes it residents on worldwide income pursuant to Article 1 of the income tax law. It is important to note that Mexico allows for a foreign tax credit for any taxes paid outside of Mexico. The US and Canada also allow for foreign tax credits. In effect, the taxpayer will pay taxes in both countries, but will also have offsetting tax credits. The net result is that the taxpayer usually pays an amount of taxes equivalent to the highest tax bracket among both countries.

As of last year, Mexican financial institutions have begun to request that US citizens provide a US social security number in order to open an account in Mexico. While I have not heard if the SAT (the Mexican equivalent to the IRS) is sharing any information with the US at this point, this is clearly the intent. Once the Mexican authorities have access to the taxpayer’s social security number they can also receive tax information from the IRS on that particular individual. Eventually, the US and Mexico will regularly exchange information on their taxpayers, just as Canada and the US do now.

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Insider Notebook: Don't be a "Codo Gringo"

Minimum wage in Baja is between $43 and $48 a day. That's not bad you say, well that is in pesos so move the decimal point one to the left. Right around $4 USD per day.

So, many professions count on tipping (propina), which is inflicted on the Mexican customers as well as us gringos. In restaurants you will find 15% still a valued tip. 20% is anticipated in the more upscale/touristy joints. I have found tipping for a haircut, particularly if they own the establishment, surprised them. Here are some additional places visitors to Mexico might not expect to tip:

The gas station attendant: Your attendant should handle all the pump work, clean you windshield, promptly handle you change and factura information if required. $10 (pesos or a buck) on fill seems appreciated. If they handle gas cans, clean them up and place them back in your car, you should throw down a little heavier.

Chamber maids: Now this is expected, but often overlooked in the states. Here the propina makes up a much more significant portion of their wage.

Parking lot security: Many of the larger supermarkets have lot attendants to prevent theft and accidents. (remember you statistically double your chance of having an accident when you put the car in "R") This is particularly helpful if you shop the same place often and toss them $5 or $10 pesos. (fifty cents to a dollar) At first I thought this was a parking lot scam until I checked with the management of Soriana's. Most of these guys you see out there in the 100° heat are pensioners who don't qualify for the minimums. I drop a few coins to these guys when I shop and the other day one of my 'amigos' saw me struggling with my bags, ran over, took my keys and opened my car for me. So far I have yet to get a cart ding in that lot which puts me ahead about $100 USD!

Bag boys (persons) It's a common after school job for kids and now seniors and it doesn't pay squat. A peso or two per bag is appropriate out of the change back from your tab. These kids are working to pay for school uniforms, books and even to support their family at an age when American kids only worry about Playstation and cartoons. Be generous, these kids (or seniors) aren't out spending it on crack!

Wait persons, doormen, bartenders all anticipate and should work for your tip. Don't reward bad service either. Leaving a few pesos rather than none after a meal is still the international sign of distain for bad service as it is in the states. However, if you employ this heavy tactic you might want to back out of the restaurant.

By the way, "codo" means elbow. When used in this context it is often accompanied by tapping the left elbow three times with the right hand. It translate to: "He is such a tightwad he has to be tapped three times in the elbow for the money to come loose from his grip."