The other day we wrote a piece about what could become a hefty tax increase (up to $200!) for passengers flying to France. So it’s only fair to also report on some happier news in the form of an airport that is (are you sitting down) ELIMINATING a long-standing tax.
A frustrating tax
For years, Cancún International Airport has had a controversial but not well-known tax on the books. Mexican customs would allow just one “portable computer equipment known as laptop, notebook, omnibook or similar” per passenger. If you travel with more than one device, you could face taxes of up to 19% of the deemed value, up to $4,000. And if you didn’t pay the fine, you had to say goodbye to your device. This was in an age, by the way, where according to a report by public safety organization UL Standards and Engagement, an average American flies with four gadgets.
To make matters worse, payment wasn’t required of everyone or during every visit; it was seemingly enforced haphazardly and catch-as-catch-can.
Anyway, not long ago, Elite Travel Group owner Tammy Levent was reportedly told she would have to pay $200 for an older-generation iPad when she went to Cancun for a work trip. Although she had visited Cancun dozens of times in the past decade, it was the first time she had been charged for bringing a laptop and iPad to the famed resort area.
“At the end of the day you want tourism but you’re driving people away,” Levent said to USA Today. “You have huge companies like pharmaceutical companies…(bringing bring groups in) and they’re coming with laptops and iPads.”
Incensed, Levent set up a time to meet with officials and shared her concerns. Of course, this made it to social media, and suddenly, publication after publication was writing about this unknown but unpopular tax.
Tax removed!
Officials apparently got wind of it and decided eliminating the tax might be better for their tourism industry. So, in a video posted on social media late last week, Quintana Roo Governor Mara Lezama announced that Cancun International Airport – the busiest airport in Mexico – would no longer charge people for their extra gadgets.
Logramos eliminar el cobro por ingresar más de una computadora o tabletas electrónicas en su equipaje de uso personal, dentro del Aeropuerto Internacional de #Cancún, con apoyo de @AduanasMx. 💻📱✈ pic.twitter.com/AlfmybOUxK
— Mara Lezama (@MaraLezama) October 11, 2024
Said the mayor:
Due to several situations detected at the Cancun International Airport regarding the fee to residents and tourists in a process that has affected the image of the destination, and has generated discomfort and inconveniences of our visitors, prohibiting tourists from bringing personal equipment of more than a laptop and a tablet … we have decided to eliminate the criteria that imposed a fee to incoming passengers bringing a computer and a tablet to Cancun International Airport.
Quintana Roo’s governor acknowledged the rule was outdated and did not conform to the modern leisure traveler or business travelers visiting the region for conferences.
You can say that again!
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This post first appeared on Your Mileage May Vary
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