Comments on: Maybe what Mexico needs is … more Americans? A perspective from our CEO

By: Charles BRUCE

Charles BRUCE — Tue, 05 Aug 2025 16:43:04 +0000

Here’s my thought: Mexico will be welcoming many more Americans very soon. I think it’s likely, yes LIKELY, that the tax rules for Americans residing in Mexico, and other “foreign” countries, will be changed, perhaps before the end of this year. As a result, they would pay no U.S. tax on their Mexican and other “foreign” income, only on their U.S. income. This is the rule in almost every other country. It is not a radical approach. People would need to elect this new approach, called residency-based taxation (RBT). There are very few people that would not happily embrace RBT. How U.S. social security income would be treated is a subject, of course, of huge interest. Who would be eligible for RBT, how to apply estate and gift (death) tax rules, and a handful of other details are being ironed out as I write this. Americans in Mexico, as well as Mexican individuals and businesses intertwined with them, should “lean in”, immediately, to help shape and then enact RBT. As things stand, I’m reminded of my dog Tinkerbell sitting down. When he started to turn around and around and around, I knew he was going to sit down. RBT legislation right now, today, early August, is turning around and around. Trump has said he favors eliminating double taxation for Americans abroad, his way of saying adopting RBT. A well drafted bill has been introduced by Rep. LaHood. It will be reintroduced shortly, after the August recess. There will be additional co-sponsors. Studies by my organization, American Citizens Abroad Global Foundation, show that RBT will not lose revenue. A wide range of groups, including the RBT Coalition, support it. Based on what I see, I sense it will have bipartisan support. I invite everyone to join me in saying sweetly “Sit down Tinkerbell!” Charles Bruce, Chairman, ACAGF and Legal Counsel, American Citizens Abroad.

By: Travis Bembenek

Travis Bembenek — Mon, 04 Aug 2025 20:41:47 +0000

In reply to James03.

James,
Thanks for sharing your experience from Toronto. I agree with you that it is a very delicate and complicated balance. I don’t think it will be easy to have more immigrants coming to Mexico – but as I outline in my article – I think it will be a net positive. Thanks again for your comments.

By: James03

James03 — Mon, 04 Aug 2025 18:33:42 +0000

Mr. Bembenek,
I’m Canadian. Today, in Canada’s largest city, Toronto, 51% of the population was not born in Canada. The whole metropolis is a colorful stew of different races, languages, skin tones; a whirling kaleidoscope of cultures, traditions and different perspectives. Mexico City is a homogenized colossus in comparison. Toronto’s mix, of course, can be exciting and vivifying for some people, but threatening and intimidating for others. Benefits come in the form of the plethora of different cuisines, fashions, ethnic hoods and musical scenes to enjoy. Stressors routinely manifest in daily life such as elementary schools where teachers have classrooms full of immigrant children who speak 20 different languages — none of them English.
I’m a Canadian who married a Mexican and have travelled throughout Mexico for 40 years. I love Mexico and its people and miss it greatly when not there.
I sense the difference between Mexicans and Canadians in 2025 is that Mexicans have a profound sense of who they are and where they came from, shaped in the crucible of their long struggle for independence and self-determination. Canadians, however, are currently experiencing an identity crisis. Our indigenous/British/French roots are being diluted by a tsunami of welcome and needed newcomers from all over the planet. This makes agreeing or finding a consensus on the way forward difficult. The current idea of Canada being a “post-national state”, that Canada’s identity is not defined by a single core culture or ethnicity, but rather by its diversity and openness to various cultural influences, is conceptually difficult for a lot of Canadians to grasp.

All this is a long-winded way of urging caution, Mr. Bembenek. Finding the balance between too much immigration and not enough is a difficult task indeed.

By: Richard Minaya

Richard Minaya — Mon, 04 Aug 2025 17:12:17 +0000

Be assured – many of us have fallen in love with you, Mexico. I strive daily to master spanish and I do spend nearly all my money here. I want my Mexican friends to do well. I want them to prosper. I want to try to give back to the community. I am not yet retired, but work here and return to the USA to take care of clients needs in person. I can assure you, I try my best to be a good neighbor. The fireworks issue did touch a nerve. In October, I was robbed at gunpoint north of Puebla in what I hear is called “la zona roja” – and for good reason. It was devastating and yet my stubborn insistence on driving at night and my truck breaking down, only invited trouble. The connect here is that the 9mm gunshots fired near my head did traumatize both me and my dog. It was one of the few times I reconsidered returning to the USA. All I had to do was turn on the USA news and see trump and maga morons to know I was in a better place. The connection here is that my dog; my companion, has since that point gone off the rails with the fireworks. he seriously needs to be medicated. I asked my neighbor politely at first to please blast the fireworks out in the street and not next to my rental house and either out of ignorance or offense, he started dropping more over into my patio! That enraged me and the not so kind angry American came out and I confronted him. Afterwards, I realized it is much misunderstanding. I just hope he does not do that again. I respect the cultures and ADMIRE the lifestyle. We just need to work harder as foreigners to work harder to express ourselves and and make the extra effort because we are still guests. And no gringo self-entitlement attitudes, please! It is another reason I re-entered spanish classes as I did not come here to MX expecting folks to stoop to our english. It is OUR responsibility as USA citizens to make the extra effort. I will not go further into the ****ing MAGA and trump (small t) disaster up north, other than I cry and rage and now try to focus on good things in MX. To the extranjeros reading this, please always encourage yourself and other GUESTS about this. And to my Mexican friends reading this? I would apologize about the dirtbag facist goons in the USA, if I thought it would do any good. I cringe in horror at the USA. In return I can only say VIVA MEXICO! gracias

By: Blue Blueitt

Blue Blueitt — Mon, 04 Aug 2025 15:41:30 +0000

hahaha… I just had a thought about a lot more Americans in Mexico… I believe that a lot of the rhetoric here in Mexico about gentrification is the same used on Mexicans in the U.S., admittedly, with some shading. Well, here’s another one- in reverse!!! The original admonition/warning in the U.S. when anti-Mexican rhetoric got hot was: "What would the U.S. look like if we suddenly woke up and all the Mexicans were gone?" Who would pick and deliver our food? Cook our food? Do our dry-cleaning? Cut our grass? Clean our house? Babysit our kids?……. Now imagine a Mexico if you wake up and there are no more Gringos?! Tio and Tia’s jobs at private homes would go away, Abuela and abuelo’s restaurant customer sales would drop, Store receipts across Pueblos to ciudades would decline, rents would go down but vacancies would skyrocket (for Mexican property owners!) And on an on. Also, many, many Mexicans would miss the deep and rewarding friendships lost and the sharing of cultures. Travis, we seriously NEED eachother. There is more that unites us than divides us. It is only when we think “us vs them” that all this ugly, short-sighted rhetoric rears its ugly head. It’s a tired and played out old trope!

By: Travis Bembenek

Travis Bembenek — Mon, 04 Aug 2025 02:18:00 +0000

In reply to David Arredondo.

Well said David….I hope an increasing amount of people can see the potential for immigrants to Mexico being additive, not replacing anything. Thanks for your comment.

By: Travis Bembenek

Travis Bembenek — Mon, 04 Aug 2025 02:16:52 +0000

In reply to gringaryan@gmail.com.

An interesting proposal indeed! 🙂

By: David Arredondo

David Arredondo — Mon, 04 Aug 2025 02:07:52 +0000

Kudos to Editor Travis Bembeck for this well researched article. Yes, more immigrants and tourists coming to Mexico benefit the country and the economy. Will they change Mexico and Mexican culture? Perhaps to a degree. There may be more English language media and more foreign restaurants and grocery stores, concerts, etc. we can see something similar in the USA with Telemundo, Univisión and other media targeting the Spanish speaking market. Many churches provide services in Spanish. There are many markets and grocery stores that cater to Hispanics and other immigrant groups. This hasn’t changed American culture, it has only added to the culture and the same will hold true for Mexico which has the most diverse and best food in the world! McDonalds or KFC will not matter. If more Mexicans need to learn English, that will only be a good thing since English is the language of business and tourism and will enable them to travel or come to the US as my father and maternal grandparents did. For me, I’m blessed to be both American and Mexican !

By: gringaryan@gmail.com

gringaryan@gmail.com — Mon, 04 Aug 2025 01:22:04 +0000

Excellent article. Mark & Vulture & all,; of course those who come espousing racist values need to be included in this conversation. Years ago most ex-pats/immigrants/retirees came because a love of the culture. There are now what I have begun to see as the financial immigrants. These people have no desire for anything other than a cheaper cost of living as close to the US as possible.
In any case I want to hope that most folks who move here are well intended. For me, the critical aspect of this conversation is the hope than newcomers adapt to and respect the culture…. Appreciate how wonderful Mexico is.
I would offer my solution to this. As as added requirement with one’s temporary or permanent status…one will not be allowed to speak during the first year unless it is to get food or shelter. In year 2 one can speak but not express an opinion until year 3. By then hopefully using ears and eyes one will have come a long way to appreciating the wonders of this country without comparing it to “back home”.

By: mikeboykin@me.com

mikeboykin@me.com — Mon, 04 Aug 2025 00:29:31 +0000

In reply to sefeed65@yahoo.com.

Snowflake