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When flying into San Jose del Cabo airport, I've been given a flyer about a new sustainability tax with a link to Travelerfundbcs.gob.mx. According to the LA Times it is voluntary:

Travelers arriving at Los Cabos International Airport will be asked for about $18 (350 pesos) each starting Saturday. But local officials say this isn’t a tax. It’s a request for a voluntary contribution to benefit a new Fund for a Sustainable Baja California Sur.

Under the new program, officials said, the San José del Cabo airport will feature kiosks encouraging visitors to contribute at the kiosk or through online payments.

Isidro Jordán Moyrón, secretary of finance for the State of Baja California Sur, said in a prepared statement that the new effort is not “entry tax” and that “visitors will not be forced or unduly coerced into making a contribution.”

However the official website doesn't mention that it's voluntary:

As such, all international visitors must make a one time payment of $ 350 Mexican Pesos to the Fund.

Is it actually voluntary? Are there any penalties for not paying this tax?

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  • What does the flyer say?
    – Nate Eldredge
    Commented Dec 24, 2019 at 19:43
  • Also, it seems misleading to call it a "tax" in your title and question, when it looks like all your information so far is that it's not a tax.
    – Nate Eldredge
    Commented Dec 24, 2019 at 19:46
  • @NateEldredge I'll take a photo later if I can find it, but it was vague too. If it's not mandatory then it's not a tax. If it is then it's a tax :)
    – JonathanReez ♦
    Commented Dec 24, 2019 at 19:50
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    There's an apparently official website, travelerfundbcs.gob.mx, which says that "all international visitors must" make the payment. The Spanish has the same sense ("deben pagar"). So now I understand why there is confusion.
    – Nate Eldredge
    Commented Dec 24, 2019 at 20:41
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    @RobertColumbia I would translate it as "must" also, and the English translation on that government website says "must".
    – Midavalo
    Commented Dec 29, 2019 at 1:42

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In the end I've left from Cabo Airport and no one asked me anything about paying this tax. This combined with the fact that the Secretary of Finance describes the tax as optional makes me believe that it is indeed not mandatory.

Therefore I can advise avoiding to pay this tax/fee unless you really want to contribute to this fund.

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  • Are you certain that it wasn't imposed as an airport tax on your ticket?
    – phoog
    Commented Jan 8, 2020 at 3:17
  • @phoog definitely not, as travelers were explicitly asked to pay online or at the kiosks
    – JonathanReez ♦
    Commented Jan 8, 2020 at 4:01

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