Mexico’s government on Monday unveiled a decree imposing tariffs of between 156% and 210% on sugar imports into the country. The tax, which comes into force on Tuesday, will affect products from countries that are members of the World Trade Organization. “The federal government has the obligation to implement the necessary mechanisms to generate stability in the national industrial sectors,” reads the published document.
Refined liquid sugar and invert sugar are the products most affected by the tax, with 210.44% of imports. The rest of the sugars, such as beetroot or cane sugar, will see an increase of 156%. Claudia Sheinbaum’s executive states that the current import tariff does not favor the country’s agri-food “given the drop in international prices” of the product, “therefore it is considered necessary to modify the specific tariffs”.
The decree supports the Plan México tariff, the initiative that establishes the need to strengthen the national industry. “Changing tariffs is a tool to protect productive sectors from distortions in international trade,” he underlines.
The new tax would increase starting in 2026, with a new additional rate for calorie-free alternatives sweetened with sweeteners. But in this Monday’s decree there are no references to this matter. The current government has also declared war on soft drinks with a proposal for the 2026 Economic Package, which includes an increase in the share of sugary drinks to 3.08 pesos per liter – a significant increase from 1.64 this year. With this increase in sugary drinks, the Executive expects to collect around 41 billion pesos in 2026, which, according to its defense, will be allocated entirely to the health budget.
