Are We Mexican Rich People?

Are we Mexican poor? NO

One Mexican sent an email to another Mexican who lives in the United States, with the next question: What makes a Mexican poor?

Answer from the Mexican who lives in EEUU:

José, it seems that the leaves on the trees don’t let you to see the forest. How can you call yourself poor, when you are able to pay double the water bill I do? When you have the luxury to pay electricity and telephone fares 60% more than they cost me? Or, when you pay $38,000 for a car that would cost me $20,000, it is because you can have the pleasure of giving $18,000 dollars to the government and we couldn’t.

Pepe! I really DON’T UNDERSTAND YOU! We are the real poor, the inhabitants from Florida, New York, Atlanta, Seattle, California, Texas and other states. That’s why the government from our states, taking into account our bad financial situation, only taxes our consumption with 2% and other 4% from federal, that makes a total of 6% and not 15% like you do in Mexico; the rich ones!

Moreover, you the Mexican are the ones who have “luxury taxes” like the IEPS (for alcohol, cigarettes, beers, wines, etc.) that reach the 120% from the original value, and the others like the ISR (Tax revenues), ISAN (Tax for New Cars), IMPUESTO AL ACTIVO (Tax to the enterprises’ goods), TENENCIAS (Taxes for having a car, whether you use it or not), 2% for renting a room in a hotel, etcetera. If you were not rich, what would be the sense of having these kinds of taxes?

POOR? NO WAY! A country that is able to ask (cobrar) the ISR like in Mexico, must be because it is plenty rich, since it considers that the business from the country and all its population have profits and of course you are rich. We are the ones who can be called poor, because we don’t pay a tax from our revenues if we earn less that $3,000 dollars monthly per person (33,000 Mexican pesos approximately) , and you can pay private security, but we have to feel protected with the public one. In Mexico, you take your children to private schools and here in US we are so poor that the public schools lend us the books in the understanding that we don’t have money to afford it.

Sometimes, I’m amused of the abundance and richness of Mexican people, when they ask for loans and they are able to pay 38% annual rates of interests, like minimum, THAT MEANS YOU ARE RICH! Not like here, where we can only pay the 8% interest just because we are not in condition to pay MORE. So Who are the poor and who are the rich here?

Finally, in Mexico only 20% of the population is a formal active worker. Don’t you think that living without a job is a luxury that only the rich can have? Come on brother, you stay in Mexico because you are rich, the poor ones like me, are the ones that emigrate to prove that we could have a better life in other place. I envy you, you are living in abundance.

Ok Pepe, I send you a hug and then you tell me how it is going with the imminent FISCAL REFORM. What is sure is that you will be taxed with more taxes. But well, it doesn’t matter, when you have the MONEY to pay them.

Sincerely,

Your poor immigrant friend from United States

PS: I forgot to mention that even we in dollars, so we also pay in dollars. Moreover, we have to pay the living costs twice (our family house in Mexico and the one where we live here in US), that make us even poorer.

Enjoy the abundance and good style of life of our dear and beautiful Mexico!!!