In light of the recent approval of the reform to the Customs Law by the Chamber of Deputies , which was generally approved by 338 votes in favor and 129 against, Fernando Ramos Casas , a foreign trade consultant, pointed out that this initiative does not contribute to the modernization of the sector and is discretionary.
He recalled that during Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s presidency, customs administration was transferred to the control of the Armed Forces with the aim of combating smuggling. However, cases such as fiscal and hydrocarbon theft continue to occur , which he described as “alarming.”
In the news program “Nobody Is Asleep Anymore” on ADN Noticias, the expert considered that the new Customs Law puts customs agents in a difficult position, giving them more responsibilities and toughening penalties, placing them in the “dock of the accused,” which is “absurd.”
“The reform is absolutely restrictive and discretionary, and does nothing to modernize or facilitate the process,” he asserted.
He indicated that the resources collected each year by the federal treasury through customs represent almost 26 % of the country’s total tax revenue , “which is done through customs agents.”
Ramos Casas pointed out that importers, whom he considered Mexico’s main taxpayer, were not heard at the Chamber of Deputies’ forum on the Customs Law.
“But the most serious thing is that chambers like the Steel, Clothing, and Footwear Chambers applaud these types of reforms when their own companies are importers, and they’ll see how things will go next year,” he explained.
He argued that it is necessary to recognize that customs are a “fundamental lung of the country,” not only because of the revenue collection but also because of what it means for Mexico’s commercial development.
“Unfortunately, customs is always talked about from a negative perspective: drug trafficking, smuggling, piracy, arms trafficking, money laundering. But they never talk about the large investments that pass through customs, the furnaces, the factories, this whole network of equipment used by the automotive industry, mining, all industries. They don’t talk about that because it’s good news, and good news is never news, and that’s why the country collects 1.2 billion pesos a year,” he said.
There are 120,000 importers in the country , he said, and he considered that the current administration does not have a very clear idea of what the world of customs means.
“When they looked at what tax collection entailed, they said, ‘This is where we belong, and they want to collect more,’ but what’s going to happen with this reform is that smuggling will increase, corruption will increase, and then public finances will go down, because we’re not questioning how the system is working,” he emphasized.
He pointed out that a reform of the Mexican customs system is required, rather than a reform of the relevant law.
It’s worth remembering that the reform to the Customs Law is expected to be discussed in the Senate next week.
The initiative, promoted by the federal executive branch, seeks to modernize customs processes, strengthen tax collection , and provide greater control and transparency to cross-border operations. However, the private sector has warned that it could represent a “knockout” for foreign trade by increasing the regulatory burden and toughening penalties for customs agents and companies.
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