Mexico’s governing coalition is proposing to hike gaming taxes nationwide and reform the country’s online gambling industry to bring it in line with international standards for social responsibility.
A statement released by Movimiento Regeneración Nacional, or MORENA, as the leftist coalition is popularly known, promises “a new tax regime for the organization of games with bets and raffles, while promoting a growing industry in our country”.
According to a measure introduced in the Senate, this would hit the gaming and betting industries in the form of an increase in the Special Excise Tax on Production and Services𑁋a “sin tax” of sorts that targets soft drinks, cigarettes, alcohol, gasoline and is already imposed on casinos at a rate of 30 percent of revenues.
The remote and online sector would be subject in addition to new regulations to promote greater player protections measures.
“We believe that the organization of games with bets and draws has not been taxed in accordance with international practice and that the social costs linked to this activity have not been fully compensated for,” the party said.
MORENA holds solid majorities in both the Senate and Chamber of Deputies after it was swept into power last year in a landslide under its founder, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, a who was elected president.
