The increase in taxes on flavored and tobacco drinks for next year puts 60,000 small businesses at risk, according to a letter from the National Alliance of Small Merchants (ANPEC) addressed to President Claudia Sheinbaum.
“This tax increase will seriously affect our families and communities, since it threatens that more than 60 thousand small businesses remain open and 120 thousand self -employment are lost throughout the country,” said the organization in a document addressed to President Claudia Sheinbaum.
The Association said that the proposal contained in the 2026 economic package will cause a sales drop of up to 15%, and that in the face of the reduced margins with which small trade works, the closure of thousands of jobs would be recorded.
The organization said that more than 10 years of its application, IEPS to flavored drinks has proven to be a failure, since chronic diseases were not relieved, but grew, consumption was not reduced, informality was promoted and the collection was lowered.
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ANPEC said that soft drinks and tobacco are considered “hook” products, since they not only generate direct sales, but also drive the purchase of other items. These products represent about 15% of the monthly ticket at points of sale, so an IEPS increase would reduce neighborhood business income.
“We addressed you in a respectful way to express our rejection of the increase to the IEPS that the 2026 economic package raises, which includes an 87% increase to IEPS in flavored drinks, the extension of this tax on beverages without calories, so far exempt, and a double increase in tax to tobacco products, both by package and by cigarette,” he said.
Instead of taxing more popular consumption products, small trade raised to explore fiscal alternatives that strengthen public collection without punishing the most vulnerable sectors.
ANPEC proposed a broad dialogue between authorities and economic actors to design solutions that allow strengthening collection without punishing popular consumption.
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