BajaNomad

well this sounds like good news

willardguy - 1-25-2012 at 10:59 AM

.Stories Neighborhood News | Tijuana
Mexico’s President Calderon Tours Tijuana, Signs Decree to Eliminate Border Tariffs
By T.B. Beaudeau | Published Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2012
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When Mexican president Felipe Calderón came to Tijuana on January 20, he signed a decree initiating the first stage of the Zona Económica Fronteriza act, which will eliminate Mexican tariffs that currently make it cheaper for Mexicans to buy products such as clothing, shoes, canned foods, personal care items, wines, liquors, and electronics in the United States.

The goal is to make it more economically advantageous for Mexicans to buy everyday items in their own country. Besides preventing time from being wasted on shopping sprees to the U.S., money spent in Tijuana betters the economy there.

The elimination of the 200 tariffs was applauded by Karim Chalita Rodriguez, current president of Canaco, a business and tourism consortium. In total, some 400 items are subject to special trade tariffs. Ultimately, all the tariffs will be eliminated for the region.

Sources: Frontera, El Mexicano

DENNIS - 1-25-2012 at 11:02 AM

BlahBlahBlahBlahBlahBlahBlahBlahBlahBlahBlahBlahBlahBlahBlahBlahBlahBlahBlahBlahBlahBlahBlahBlah:lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol:

desertcpl - 1-25-2012 at 11:08 AM

come on DENNIS tell us how you really feel

DavidE - 1-25-2012 at 11:26 AM

I don't know how many dozens of promises I have seen over the years, including B.S. NAFTA that was guaranteed to lift all restrictions by 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, ad naseum. Mexican politicians take their cue from american windbags.

Bajatripper - 1-25-2012 at 11:32 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by willardguy
.Stories Neighborhood News | Tijuana
Mexico’s President Calderon Tours Tijuana, Signs Decree to Eliminate Border Tariffs
By T.B. Beaudeau | Published Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2012
Text size: A | A | A
SUBSCRIBE TO THIS COLUMN

When Mexican president Felipe Calderón came to Tijuana on January 20, he signed a decree initiating the first stage of the Zona Económica Fronteriza act, which will eliminate Mexican tariffs that currently make it cheaper for Mexicans to buy products such as clothing, shoes, canned foods, personal care items, wines, liquors, and electronics in the United States.

The goal is to make it more economically advantageous for Mexicans to buy everyday items in their own country. Besides preventing time from being wasted on shopping sprees to the U.S., money spent in Tijuana betters the economy there.

The elimination of the 200 tariffs was applauded by Karim Chalita Rodriguez, current president of Canaco, a business and tourism consortium. In total, some 400 items are subject to special trade tariffs. Ultimately, all the tariffs will be eliminated for the region.

Sources: Frontera, El Mexicano


"First stage"? This is nothing more than a continuation of the "zona fronteriza tax-exempt (on selected items)" program first instituted by President Abelardo Rodriguez back in 1934. They will reduce or eliminate the import fees on selected items and then slowly remove the exemptions over the following years as local businessmen with "palanca" get the items they profit from taken off the list.

At one time, La Paz had a booming "shoppers' economy" because of this policy. When the ferry service connecting La Paz to the mainland was first instituted in 1964, Mexicans from the mainland came across in droves to buy imported (tax exempt) items and then smuggle them back to the mainland for resale (back then, they didn't go through your baggage before boarding the boat). Eventually, the duty on most items became pretty much what it is for the rest of Mexico, and that market dried up, around 1985. Many local businessmen still remember fondly the "Golden Age" of the import business.

What I'd like to know is: What the hell was NAFTA suppose to do? Wasn't that all about free trade, as in "North American Free Trade Zone"? Yeah, right. I forgot. That was to facilitate business for the big boys in the game and did nothing for the everyday consumers.

Bajahowodd - 1-25-2012 at 05:04 PM

NAFTA? In some respects it seems to me that there is an apples and oranges thing going on here.

Tourism is in the dumper in TJ because of some things like bodies hanging from overpasses, as well as drums filled with chemically treated bodies.

The old time tourism business in TJ and other border areas is going to take a long, long time to regenerate.

However, the Maquiladora thingy is very alive and well. Anyone who akes the time to travel around the Eastern TJ area will come upon factory upon factory. Whether electronics or appliances, or motor vehicles, there exists a vibrant manufacturing base.