Mexico

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Business Environment

Business Practices

General information: Enterprises Center Mexico - European Union
Mexperience
Opening hours and days: Banks are open to the public from Monday to Friday from 9 AM to 4 PM.
Public administration offices are also open from Monday to Friday from 9 AM to 2 PM.
Businesses are open from Monday to Friday from 10 AM to 6 PM and Saturdays from 10 AM to 8 PM. It is not unusual to find businesses open on Sundays.

Public holidays

New Year's	January 1st
Mexican Constitution's Day	First Monday in February
Benito Juarez's Anniversary	Third Monday in March
Good Thursday and Good Friday	It falls sometime between March 20 and April 25
Labor Day	May 1st
The Battle of Puebla's Day	May 5th
Mexican Independence's Day	September 16
Day of the Dead	November 2nd
Mexican Revolution's Day	Third Monday in November
Our Lady of Guadalupe's Day	December 12
Christmas	December 25

Holiday compensation: Only the anniversaries of the Constitution, Benito Juarez and Mexican Revolution will be held on Monday if the date falls on weekend.

Periods when companies usually close

Christmas Vacations	One week from December 25 to December 31, depending on the enterprise.
Holy Week Vacations	The last week before Easter.
Summer Vacations	One week anytime in between July and August.

Accounting Rules

Tax year: The fiscal year begins on January 1st and ends on December 31st of the same year.
Accounting standards: The Accounting system used in Mexico is modern and international. It follows the same double ledger pattern, which is compatible with most of the European accounting systems.
Accounting regulation bodies: Mexican Council of Investigation and Development of Financial Information Standards
Accounting reports: There are two traditional structures:
- The balance sheet, which reflects the situation of the enterprise and provides the information about the assets, liabilities and capital on a particular date (the last day of the fiscal year).
- The profit and losses report, which shows the results of all financial activities of the enterprise in a given period of time, could be each trimester or each year. It reflects the income, expenses, loss and profit obtained during that particular period.
Publication requirements: The balance sheet, the profit and loss account staments and the daily ledger are mandatory.
Professional accountancy bodies: Mexican Institute of Public Accountants
Certification and auditing: Deloitte & Touche , Price Waterhouse Coopers.
Accounting news: Impuestum

Tax Rates

Consumption taxes

Nature of the tax: VAT (Value Added Tax) called "Impuesto al Valor Agregado - IVA"
Tax rate: 15% - Value Added Tax Laws
Reduced tax rate: 10% for the activities of enterprises located in a frontier zone. Exports are subject to a rate of 0%, as well as basic foodstuffs, agricultural services related to the production of them and medicines.
Other consumption taxes: Special Production and Services Tax Law (applied to alcoholic beverages, elaborated tobacco, gasoline and diesel). Laws for New Automobiles

Corporate taxes

Company tax: 28%
Tax rate for foreign companies: All legal entities that according to the Federal Tax Code are considered Mexican residents are taxed for worldwide income received, depending of their activity or social object, in any of the following regimes:

- Legal entities of general regimen
- Legal entities non-profit
- Legal entities of simplified regimen
Legal entities that are not residents, must pay taxes in Mexico when they earn an income from a source of wealth located in Mexican territory (income tax and flat rate corporate tax).
Capital gains taxation: A flat tax (IETU) has been set up. It represents the minimum corporate tax on capital gains. The rate is 17%.
Main allowable deductions and tax credit: The expenses for establishing a business can be deductible if they are backed up properly, some of them can be: real estate acquisition expenses, VAT, contributions to third parties, etc. For more information, consult the site of Mexican Federal Tax Administration

Individual taxes

Tax rate

Rate imposed on an individual's income	Vary from 3% to 28% according to the monthly tax bracket.
from MXN 0 to 496	3%
from MXN 497 to 4,120	10%
from MXN 4,121 to 7,399	17%
from MXN 7,400 to 8,601	25%
8,602 and more	28%

Allowable deductions and tax credit: There are several types of deductions attributed to taxpayers in Mexico. You can find out the nature of all the deductions by contacting Mexican Federal Tax Administration.
Special expatriate tax regime: If a foreigner resides in Mexico for business purposes for more than 183 days per year, he can obtain a special tax rate, however there are no special deductions for expatriates.

Double taxation treaties

Countries with whom a double taxation treaty have been signed: See the list of financial agreements signed between Mexico and other countries in order to avoid double taxation.
Whithholding taxes: Dividends: 0, Interest: 10%/21%/28%, Royalties: 25%/28%

Sources of fiscal information

Tax Authorities: Mexican Federal Tax Administration
Other domestic resources: Ministry of Finances and Public Credit

Intellectual Property

National organizations: Mexican Institute of Industrial Property
National Institute of Copyright
Federal Copyright
Regional organizations: World Intellectual Property Organization
International membership: Member of the WIPO
Signatory to the Paris Convention for the Protection of Intellectual Property
Membership to the TRIPS agreement - Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS)

National regulation and international agreements

Type of property and law	Validity	International agreements signed
Patent Industrial Property Law	20 years	Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) Strasbourg agreement concerning the International Patent Classification
Trademark Industrial Property Law, Article 16	10 years	Trademark law treaty Nice agreement
Design Copyright Law	75 years after the death of the author
Copyright Copyright Law	75 years after the death of the author.	Berne convention Convention for the Protection of Producers of Phonograms against unauthorized duplication of their phonograms Rome convention for the protection of performers, producers of phonograms and Broadcasting organizations WIPO copyright treaty WIPO performances and Phonograms treaty
Industrial Models Law of Industrial Property	20 years

Legal Framework

Independence of justice: The Judicial power is free and independent, however it is contaminated by the corruption.
Equal treatment of nationals and foreigners: Yes, foreigners are entitled to impartial justice.
The language of justice: Spanish
Recourse to an interpreter: Yes, as long as it is an official certified translator.
Sources of the law and legal similarities: The Political Constitution of Mexico is the basis of the legal system in Mexico. The judicial system is a combination of constitutional theories and American civil rights in addition to judicial revisions of different legislative statutes. Mexico accepts compulsory jurisdiction from the International Court of Justice but with reservations.
Checking national laws online: Federal Legislation

Standards

National standards organizations: Standards General Direction
Integration in the international standards network: Mexico is a member of International Organization for Standardization, International Electrotechnical Commission, International Union of Telecommunication and Pan-American Commission for Technical Standards.
Classification of standards: Official stamp "NOM" with the name of the ministry of state that issued it.
Online consultation of standards: Catalog of Official Mexican Standards (NOM's)
Certification organizations: Association of Standards and Certification
Mexican Institute of Standard and Certification
Electronics Standards and Certification
Organization of National Standards and Certification for Building and Construction

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