Workers from the Tax Administration Service (SAT) suspended operations in some offices on Tuesday to demand better working conditions. This could impact foreign trade, as this decentralized agency of the Ministry of Finance and Public Credit (SHCP) is primarily responsible for collecting federal taxes, monitoring the taxpayer registry, and overseeing tax compliance .
According to Roberto Osornio , a partner at the Mexican Institute of Foreign Trade Executives (IMECE) , the impact of this strike is more administrative, since the SAT is in charge of permits and regulations , such as the Authorized Economic Operator (AEO), a government certification focused on security in different areas of companies’ supply chains.
“These types of permits and authorizations are the ones we see as potentially being affected by the lack of response,” he noted in an interview with T21.
The specialist indicated that for the operational part, which involves customs procedures, there are not many repercussions , “because in the end, since the separation at the beginning of this decade of the National Customs Agency of Mexico (ANAM) and the SAT, and ANAM remains responsible for customs , they have continued operating on the customs operations side, that is, the crossing of imports and exports; we really do not see that the flow of foreign trade will be significantly affected.”
Osornio explained that the offices that suspended their activities were mostly in the center of the country, and that this did not affect the foreign trade sector.
According to the SAT, one of the offices where the suspension of activities took place is located in Chihuahua, however, the Ciudad Juárez customs office was also not affected, “in addition to the fact that the SAT office is just three or four kilometers away.”
According to data from the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (INEGI) on the trade balance , in August 2025 Mexico’s foreign trade reached 113.38 billion dollars (mdd) , of which 55.718 billion dollars corresponded to exports and 57.662 billion dollars to imports.
The SAT employee protests began at 8:00 a.m. this Tuesday, with the suspension of operations in some offices across the country. However, groups of workers took to the streets to block some of Mexico City’s main avenues, such as Paseo de la Reforma.
Among the workers’ demands are a 12% salary increase to their public servants , the restoration of cut or eliminated benefits, a balance in working conditions among different categories of workers, particularly unionized workers and liaison workers, and the provision of basic supplies and resources to offices , among others.
The workers warned that if their demands are not met, they could take broader measures in the coming weeks.
In this regard, the SAT announced, through an informational notice, that operations have been suspended at its offices located in Chihuahua, Chihuahua; Celaya, Guanajuato; Guadalajara Sur and Zapopan, Jalisco; and its East and South offices in Mexico City .
He noted that taxpayer service is being provided normally in 155 of the 162 decentralized offices and Tax Service Modules nationwide.
” For taxpayers who were unable to complete their application, the SAT will notify them via email of the rescheduling of their appointment. Any questions or clarifications can be received through the one-on-one chat at chat.sat.gob.mx for assistance, or by contacting Marca SAT at 55 627 22 728,” the agency emphasized.
In the document, the organization added that channels of dialogue and cooperation with its employees remain open and clarified that there have been no threats against the protesters.
“With the support of the Ministries of the Interior and Labor and Social Security, we maintain communication with workers to address their requests,” he emphasized.
For her part, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum dismissed the strike. During her morning press conference this Tuesday, she considered it “not something that will create a serious problem,” ruling out major impacts on foreign trade from the SAT workers’ strike, a situation that, she emphasized, is already being addressed.
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