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land, sea, and air customs posts under the Tax Administration Office ( SAT ) are at risk of being inundated by corruption . They are the ports of entry for all foreign commerce into Mexico. In 2018, it registered USD $460,000 million in imports and a similar amount in exports .
The number of operations carried out through these customs posts and the large sum of taxes collected by them would mean that they are an important influx of public funds , as long as there is no corruption. Nevertheless, even President López Obrador recognized that he wasn’t been able to change things around at customs and now he has appointed Horacio Duarte in a bid to end corruption inside the General Customs Administration (AGA).
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Duarte says his administration will focus on the economic aspects and in tax collection, as the federal government is relying on tax collection to fund its development plan, including areas such as health, education, and security. Therefore, Duarte will implement a new method: implement an itinerant administration that will allow him to inspect the way in which the 49 customs operate and find their flaws.
It’s time for taxes generated in customs to be allocated to the government, not to corruption networks inside the institution. Moreover, customs are strategic posts for the federal government since over a third of the GDP goes through them.
If the current administration is able to turn things around at customs , a sector widely affected by corruption, it will be easier to fulfill the government’s goals that have been tearing down by the COVID-19 pandemic but which has also made the government rethink its goals. It’s a good sign to start eradicating corruption in customs.
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