Overview

• The lower house’s Finance Committee convened Monday to debate and vote on the Ley Aduanera draft that makes limited adjustments to the president’s proposal.
• The revised text sets customs broker patents at 20 years, shifts recertification to every three years, and allows letters of credit to guarantee duties and compensatory quotas.
• The bill keeps a new Customs Council led by the Finance Ministry and composed of SAT, ANAM and the Anticorruption Secretariat to oversee licensing and disciplinary actions.
• Provisions delete exclusions from broker liability and broaden grounds for suspension or cancellation, with stricter sanctions for facilities that release goods without taxes paid.
• Trade groups warn of higher costs and exposure to penalties that could reach about 300% of omitted duties, say some brokers may drop hard‑to‑classify imports, and note tighter courier requirements on inventories, video surveillance and traceability.