The government argued that this measure seeks to prevent practices that affect production and job creation.

President Claudia Sheinbaum signed a decree to increase tariffs on manufactured goods by 35% and on textile imports by 15%, with the aim of combating abuses in current provisions, guaranteeing equal conditions for national companies and protecting nearly 400,000 jobs that depend on this strategic sector.

Marcelo Ebrard, Secretary of Economy, announced that this measure will close a gap in the Manufacturing, Maquiladora and Export Services Industry (IMMEX) program, which allowed the importation of products under the scheme of intermediate inputs exempt from taxes, but which ended up being sold in the national market without meeting the required conditions.

“With these actions we are closing a door that left Mexican companies at a disadvantage, allowing the entry of finished products that evaded taxes and competed unfairly,” he said at the morning press conference on Thursday, December 19.

Ebrard Casaubón also mentioned efforts to eradicate technical smuggling, a practice in which, he said, companies declare imports as temporary to evade taxes and then sell the products on the national market.

The official explained that irregularities have been detected in at least 40% of the customs agencies inspected, which has led to the withdrawal of seven patents from customs agents. Operations are also being implemented to combat piracy and ensure compliance with industrial property regulations.

“In this case we call it technical smuggling, that is, in your request you deceive the authority, you say 'this is temporary'. Obviously the authority cannot, neither here nor in any country in the world, verify all of them, you do it at random, they verify between 7% and 1%, so that is why the patent, the license and the patent of a customs agent have so much value, because you are delegating a trustworthiness to them, they are giving to some extent faith that it is true that this is a temporary import, because their patent will be revoked and the authorities will charge consequences, because they are deceiving the authority, so that door is closing,” explained the official.