Mexico Exit Taxes - a scam?

MrsE_2

fiftyodd wrote: »

Perhaps we can try an experiment, as I bet there are loads of MSEs going to Cancun on a package holiday this year, do as I did, take their FMM to the bank and pay the 294 pesos and present it at the airport on the way out! I'm intrigued to know what would happen.

I'm off to Mexico next month - Akumal.

So I keep the forms on the way in, & pop into a bank & pay 294 pesos?
I'm on a Thomas Cook package holiday.

JUDE

just got back from Tulum and had to pay the 785 pesos each at Cancun airport to exit the country..........really annoyed as we didnt know anything about it until we were on the outbound flight! booked in Thomas Cook and wasnt told anything about it before we flew.......as we were on an all inclusive holiday, it was lucky we took extra cash! be aware you can only pay in pesos or £sterling........not US dollars....bit of a farce really as TC told use not to take dollars, but alltheir trips were sold in dollars!

MrsE_2

JUDE wrote: »

just got back from Tulum and had to pay the 785 pesos each at Cancun airport to exit the country..........really annoyed as we didnt know anything about it until we were on the outbound flight! booked in Thomas Cook and wasnt told anything about it before we flew.......as we were on an all inclusive holiday, it was lucky we took extra cash! be aware you can only pay in pesos or £sterling........not US dollars....bit of a farce really as TC told use not to take dollars, but alltheir trips were sold in dollars!

How much is 785 pesos in our money? Do they take cards?

callum9999

MrsE wrote: »

How much is 785 pesos in our money? Do they take cards?

About £37, but I believe they'll charge you something like £45 if you pay in Sterling. No they don't take cards - but as has already been mentioned, take the documentation into a HSBC branch while over there are you only have to pay 294 pesos.

MrsE_2

callum9999 wrote: »

About £37, but I believe they'll charge you something like £45 if you pay in Sterling. No they don't take cards - but as has already been mentioned, take the documentation into a HSBC branch while over there are you only have to pay 294 pesos.

I did read that, but I didn't realise you could do that on a package holiday? I'm with Thomas Cook. Something about the way it was phrased made me read it as independent travellers only?

callum9999

MrsE wrote: »

I did read that, but I didn't realise you could do that on a package holiday? I'm with Thomas Cook. Something about the way it was phrased made me read it as independent travellers only?

I can't see why the Mexican government could possibly have cause to distinguish between the two?

Maybe you just got confused about the wording - independent travellers don't normally need to pay this fee as it's covered in the airfare. It's only people flying on charter airlines (who would generally be going on package holidays I imagine) who have to pay the fee.

Tandonashish

814man wrote: »

I should have done a better search before I started new thread on this earlier!
fifltyodd, OK I'll give this a try. I'm off to Cancun this saturday on Thomas Cook for 2 weeks. I'll try the bank option and see what I can find out.

814man - Could you please confirm if you managed to get away with bank option by paying less amount. I'm cross with Thomas cook for not mentioning this prior to booking. It Would be good if you can confirm this and put me at ease :-). I will be going on package holiday in Jan with Thomas cook and do not wish to pay 800 pesos when I can get away with less than half of that.

Thanks in advance,
Ash

Tojo_Ralph

In all honesty, the only reason that departure taxes ever get mentioned on these forums is because they weren't paid at point of ticket sale, which is why you never hear anyone complain about the $55 AUD Australian Departure Tax (Passenger Movement Charge).

As for the 150,000 IDR (approx £12) Int departure tax payable in cash departing Indonesia, if it does actually fund the airport development as intended, it's not altogether a bad thing as only those benefiting from the investment pay it.

No doubt if Air Passenger Duty were collected at point of departure from the UK we'd see no end of "UK Scam Tax" threads .

callum9999

Tojo_Ralph wrote: »

In all honesty, the only reason that departure taxes ever get mentioned on these forums is because they weren't paid at point of ticket sale, which is why you never hear anyone complain about the $55 AUD Australian Departure Tax (Passenger Movement Charge).

As for the 150,000 IDR (approx £12) Int departure tax payable in cash departing Indonesia, if it does actually fund the airport development as intended, it's not altogether a bad thing as only those benefiting from the investment pay it.

No doubt if Air Passenger Duty were collected at point of departure from the UK we'd see no end of "UK Scam Tax" threads .

To be fair, I think the "scam" relates more to them charging 800 pesos at the airport, while it's less than half that if you pay it at a bank.

Not that I agree it's a scam - nowadays if anything isn't spelt out so a 2 year old could grasp it it's automatically deemed some kind of scam or con!

hast

Has anybody done the bank job with this exit tax as im off to cancun with my family