Mexican Congress votes to charge cruise ship passengers $42 per person for port stops

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Cruise ship industry players are up in arms over the lower house of Mexican Congress voted this week in favor of a $42 immigration tax for every cruise ship passenger docking in Mexico.

Additionally, two-thirds of the funds raised would be for the Mexican military and not for improving port facilities.

The Mexican Association of Shipping Agents cried foul Thursday night, saying the fees could make Mexico less competitive for cruise ships.

“If this measure is implemented, it would place Mexican stopovers among the most expensive in the world, seriously affecting their competitiveness compared to other Caribbean destinations,” the association said in a statement.

The group called on Mexico’s Senate not to approve the measure, which calls for two-thirds of immigration tax revenue to go to the country’s Defense Ministry, for reasons that remain unclear.

In the past, cruise ship passengers were exempt from immigration fees because they slept on board the ships and some did not even get off the ship during port calls. Either way, it appears they would be charged a $42 fee, according to the new budget law.

There have been initiatives around the world to curb cruise ships over fears of excessive tourism, but that train left the station a long time ago in the case of The Caribbean coast of Mexico. Cozumel has for years been the world’s busiest port of call, welcoming around four million cruise passengers a year.

“It is necessary to remove the exemption from payment of immigration documents for foreign passengers who enter Mexico on cruise ships,” according to the new law.

Mexico’s ruling Morena party is already have huge budget deficits to finance pet construction projects like railroads and oil refineries – some of which are built by the army – and is desperately looking for new sources of income.

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