Background on the Situation
In a recent development, Bertha Gómez Casto, the subsecretary of Expenditures at Mexico’s Secretaría de Hacienda y Crédito Público (SHCP), clarified that no new specialized health fund will be established using the revenues from so-called “health taxes” or “impuestos saludables.” Instead, the resources might be directed towards an existing fund: the Fondo de Salud para el Bienestar (Fonsabi).
Context and Relevance
The controversy began when new taxes were imposed on sugary beverages and tobacco products, with the intention of generating additional revenue for addressing health issues related to consumption of these items. Critics, including panista Héctor Saúl Téllez, pointed out that the 2026 Proyecto de Presupuesto de Egresos de la Federación (PPEF) did not mention the creation of a dedicated health fund, despite President Claudia Sheinbaum’s earlier statements about allocating these new tax revenues to healthcare.
SHCP’s Stance
Gómez Casto emphasized that no new fund would be created, but rather the incoming resources from the Impuesto Especial sobre Producción y Servicios (IEPS) would be fully transparent and earmarked for health. The functional budget for health is set at 965,662 million pesos for the upcoming year.
“The creation of a new fund is not necessary… what is required is to have the income completely identified, and then the Subsecretaría of Expenditures will clearly determine the expenditure’s destination. Remember that health already has a fund, the Fonsabi, and it could be that these resources are channeled to Fonsabi if this scheme is believed to provide such clarity and greater tranquility,” she explained.
Previous Statements and Expectations
In September, following the presentation of the Paquete Económico 2026, President Claudia Sheinbaum asserted that the new tax revenues would be directed towards health. Later, the SHCP confirmed that the expected 41,000 million pesos from these taxes would go to health, despite the absence of legal changes to specifically allocate those public funds.
Key Questions and Answers
- Q: Will a new health fund be established using the “health taxes” revenue? A: No, according to Bertha Gómez Casto, there will be no creation of a new fund. Instead, the resources might be directed to an existing health fund, Fonsabi.
- Q: What is the amount allocated for health in the 2026 PPEF? A: The functional budget for health is set at 965,662 million pesos for the upcoming year.
- Q: What is the expected revenue from the new “health taxes”? A: Approximately 41,000 million pesos are expected to be generated from these taxes.
- Q: How will the new tax revenues be allocated? A: The SHCP intends to ensure full transparency of the incoming IEPS revenues and allocate them to health, without creating a new fund.
