Mexico suspends temporary imports of finished Chinese footwear
On August 28, the Official Gazette of the Federation published a decree prohibiting the temporary importation of finished Chinese footwear under the IMMEX Program.
This program allows companies to temporarily import goods without paying taxes or VAT, provided they are used in production processes or services for the manufacture, transformation, or repair of goods that will later be exported.
However, according to the Mexican government, some footwear companies “cheated” by importing finished footwear under IMMEX, avoiding taxes and selling the goods domestically.
From now on, it has been established that imports of finished Chinese footwear will be considered permanent -not temporary- imports, and will be subject to the corresponding taxes and duties.
The IMMEX Program will only be available to importers of semi-finished products, parts, materials, and components, for a defined period, to rework or transform footwear intended for export.
The official decree noted that imports of finished footwear under IMMEX grew exponentially: in 2024, volume increased by 159% and value by 60% compared with the previous year, negatively impacting the domestic industry.
In 2024, according to INEGI (National Statistics Institute) data compared to 2023, the sector’s GDP fell 12.8%, production dropped 12.5%, and 11,000 formal jobs were lost.
With the new regulation, authorities aim to improve competitiveness conditions for the national industry and restore activity levels.
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