Soft drinks with sugar will pay a tax of 3.80 pesos; the “light” ones of 1.50

The Government of Mexico and the soft drink industry are working on an agreement to reduce the use of sugar in the production of processed beverages, which contemplates a higher IEPS on sugary drinks than those that use sweeteners or non-caloric sweeteners.

Mexico City, October 16 (However).- With the aim of benefiting the health of Mexicans, the soft drink industry, hand in hand with the Government of Mexicoreached a series of agreements to reduce the use of sugar in the production of processed drinksalso promote the consumption of healthier products among the population.

At a press conference, businessmen from the soft drink industry and officials from the Ministry of Health (SSa) They explained what the agreement consisted of that, in the morning, had been revealed by the President Claudia Sheinbaum.

As announced by Eduardo Clark, Undersecretary of Sectoral Integration and Coordination of Health Care Services of the SSa, the agreement maintains the increase in IEPS of 3.80 pesos per liter for sugary drinks, while those products with sweeteners or non-chloric sweeteners, also known as “light”, will only have an IEPS of 1.50 pesos per liter.

“Yes, there will be a higher tax on soft drinks than there was before. There will also be, for the first time, a tax on non-caloric sweeteners and sweeteners, but this tax will be lower than that on products with sugar,” the official said during the conference.

In the morning, President Claudia Sheinbaum revealed the existence of the agreement reached with businessmen from the soft drink industry in order to reduce the level of sugar used in the production of processed beverages and thus benefit the health of consumers.

From the National Palace, the federal president explained that it was last night when the agreement in question was reached. Likewise, he indicated that soft drink producers will present the proposal before the Chamber of Deputies during a conference that will be held today around 11:00 a.m.

“I don’t want to advance it because just last night an agreement was reached. And it is important because ultimately what interests us, well, is health,” commented the President.

Although he did not delve into details, he indicated that the agreement maintains “a good part” of the Special Tax on Production and Services (IEPS) that had been proposed in the 2026 Economic Package for sugary drinks with the aim of discouraging their consumption among the population.

“What we are looking for is for the sugar content in soft drinks to go down,” said the head of the federal Executive and added that there is a recognition on the part of soft drink producers of the importance of implementing this measure to reduce the harm that these drinks cause to those who consume them.

Sheinbaum also commented that the agreement was worked on in coordination with the Ministry of Health (SSa) and the Ministry of Finance and Public Credit (SHCP) following an approach formulated by the soft drink industry.

For his part, Ricardo Monreal, president of the Political Coordination Board (Jucopo) and coordinator of the Morena bench in the Chamber of Deputies, revealed that he held a meeting with the Secretary of Health, Dr. David Kershenobich, as well as with Eduardo Clark, Undersecretary of Sectoral Integration and Coordination of Health Care Services.

“Later we will report on the purpose of this meeting, which impacts the Special Tax Law on Production and Services and the 2026 Income Law,” said the Deputy in a publication that he shared through his X account (formerly Twitter).

I met this morning with the Secretary of Health, Dr. David Kershenobich, and the Undersecretary @EduardoClark. Later we will report on the purpose of this meeting, which impacts the Special Tax Law on Production and Services and the 2026 Income Law. pic.twitter.com/mPuYrMY4pE

— Ricardo Monreal A. (@RicardoMonrealA) October 16, 2025

Mexico, world leader in obesity and diabetes

The proposal to increase the IEPS for sugary drinks derives from the serious health problem caused by the high consumption of such products in Mexico where, according to studies, an average of 166 liters of soft drinks are consumed per year.

Mexico, in fact, tops the list among the 30 most populated countries in the world with the highest number of new cases of diabetes attributable to the consumption of soft drinks and other sugary drinks. In the country, it is estimated that one in three new cases of diabetes is due to the consumption of sugary drinks, as revealed by research published in the scientific journal Nature Medicine.

Faced with this, the Government of President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo has proposed raising the Special Tax on Production and Services (IEPS) on sugary drinks to 3 pesos per liter. The President has said that this is not a measure to raise more resources, but rather to discourage the consumption of this type of beverage that is behind diseases such as diabetes and cardiovascular diseases.

The Sheinbaum Government predicts that there will be a seven percent drop in the consumption of sugary drinks in the next two years, based on the increase in the IEPS, which has been applied since 2014, when it began as a tax of one peso per liter of each sugary drink. With this measure in only the second year, consumption was reduced by 9.7 percent. In 2023, the tax was 1.5 pesos per liter and in 2025 it is 1.65 pesos per liter. However, the new proposal includes an IEPS for sugary drinks of 3.1 pesos per liter by 2026.