Shop til you drop?
I did not even bother trying to drive to the shop today (I took the bus). Besides the New Years’ tourists, everyone is stocking up before new taxes go into effect on the first of January:
16 percent IVA (Value Added Tax) on just about everything that’s not food or medicine. That’s the same as its been, though pet food and chewing gum are taxable now. Yeah, I did lay in 20 kilos of dog food, but that lasts about four months.
High calorie food products (i.e. junk food) has an extra eight percent tax, and alcoholic beverages are taxed based on alcohol content. For our health, or so we’re told. Between stocking up for New Years… and the new year… there were lines outside the local liquor store and corner “Deposito” (beer store).
The odd one (and one I didn’t even know about) is the new tax on insecticides… this is the tropics and I just worry too much about bugs, but get a little testy with the annual winter ant invasion. I wonder if it wouldn’t be cheaper (and more ecologically sound) to hire some geckos.
The Mex Files 