On Thursday, President Claudia Sheinbaum firmly distanced her administration from any plans to introduce a tax on inheritances in Mexico. During her morning press conference, she emphasized that the idea is solely a personal opinion of Supreme Court Justice Lenia Batres Guadarrama and is not supported by the federal government.

Sheinbaum stated, “It is a personal opinion of Minister Lenia Batres. We are not proposing to tax inheritances.” This clarification comes after Batres sparked controversy with her remarks during a Supreme Court discussion, where she argued that inheritances should be taxed because recipients gain wealth without their own effort, which she believes perpetuates social inequality.

The debate unfolded within the context of a case involving the fiscal treatment of inheritances and resources inherited from Afores (retirement funds). However, the majority of the Supreme Court did not endorse Batres’s viewpoint, so no legal or tax regime changes followed.

By publicly rejecting the idea, Sheinbaum sought to close the discussion and make clear that the Mexican government will not push for legislative debate on inheritance taxes.

Currently, Mexico does not have a specific federal inheritance tax. Generally, assets received through inheritance or legacy are exempt from Income Tax (ISR), except in particular cases outlined in tax law. Batres’s stance remains a personal proposal, not an official government initiative.

For migrants and residents navigating Mexico’s fiscal landscape, this means no immediate changes to inheritance tax policies are expected, preserving the current framework that exempts most inherited assets from taxation.