The proposal of a 5% tax to remittances sent from the United States, That the House of Representatives must discuss, anguish to migrants whose families depend on this money.
The tax, tied to the controversial federal budget who discussed on Wednesday the Chamber of Representatives with an uncertain future, Immigrants such as the Honduran María Lorenza Carrasco, who has been in Florida for 33, from where he sends about US $ 1,300 per month for his two daughters and his child’s sick brother of cancer.
“It is an aid that I give to my daughters and they survive that, My brother, who has cancer. They are going to do an operation right now, they have done three operations in Honduras and returned the cancer again, “said the Central American.
“I am very worried. That can’t be, it can’t be that. Imagine, I don’t win much in this country, I sacrifice myself to send them the money “, The Honduran protected with the temporary protection status (TPS) reported.
At the moment, this Wednesday The conservatives themselves managed to stop Donald Trump’s project, in which the imposition of taxes on remittances is contemplated, although the Executive had urged Congress to advance with the initiative.
“Today’s is an arbitrary deadline,” said Scott Perry, representative of Pennsylvania, and warned that she is designed “To force cornered people to make bad decisions,” According to the chain CNN in Spanish.
Where does the proposal come from?
The initiative, part of the controversial budget and fiscal plan promoted by US President Donald Trump, would apply a 5% tax to the remittances transferred from the US to the outside. But, although the rate is 5%, this would be added to other taxes that are already applied.
Therefore, Migrants ask their governments to act against the tax, As the Mexican president, Claudia Sheinbaum, who denounced that the tax breached a treaty in force since 1994 to avoid double taxation between the USA and Mexico, which received a record of almost US $ 65 billion in remittances in 2024.
Juan Flores, president of the September 15 Foundation in Miami, asked the president of Honduras, Xiomara Castro, to react, By citing data from the Central Bank that show that these remittances are 27% of Honduran GDP.
How does it apply and how would it affect?
For example, with 5% of taxes plus other taxes that already exist, The cost of sending US $ 350 to Mexico would go from US $ 6 to US $ 23.5, According to an investigation by BBVA Mexico.
This would impact countries like Mexico, the second largest remittance receiver in the world, as well as Guatemala, Nicaragua, Honduras and El Salvador, where these income represents a good part of their Gross Domestic Product (GDP), according to the World Bank.
Migrants such as Honduran Dalila Galvez interpret Tax Cas a blow to their work and other countries, Well, the US $ 300 that she sends every month to her family represent “a lot, too much because they buy food, pay light and pay when they get sick.”
“We (migrants) We are what we work in the sun. We are not harass, we are not thieves, We only come to try to win a little more to go up, to be able to (help) there to our country, “he said in an interview.
How many migrants would affect?
For being the country with more immigrants, United States It is also the main source of remittances in the world, When concentrating a quarter of the total shipment, with an estimated one of more than US $ 200 billion, according to data from the World Bank updated at the end of 2022.
In American territory There are more than 40 million people who would be affected with these taxes.
However, the voices of these immigrants are far from being heard: Trump has put all his efforts to make the law proposal that includes the remittance tax approved before July.