Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco Mexico - At the request of the Puerto Vallarta Tourism Buildings Commission, a Lodging Tax Discussion and Analysis Forum was held on Wednesday with the goal of broadening the tax base to include rental property income, which would increase the annual collection in the city by 33 million pesos.

The President of the Tourism Committee in the local congress, Juan Carlos Anguiano Orozco, explained that the initiative, which has been sent to the Jalisco State Congress, is aimed at collecting taxes from apartments, condominiums and houses that are rented out to tourists on a full- or part- time basis, whether the rental is rendered by digital platforms or by individual contact.

Before many representatives of the destination's tourism and business sector, the legislator stressed that work is being done to "achieve a level ground for the entire hotel sector and tourism service providers; that is, clear rules for all that will result in better tourism development in Jalisco and Puerto Vallarta, considered the second most important tourist area in the country."

Noting that Mexico is the second most important market for Airbnb with 37,000 properties offered for rent, of which 4,400 are located in Puerto Vallarta, he said that once the initiative has been approved by the State Congress, unregistered rental property owners will be given the opportunity to be voluntarily integrated into the tax system, and subsequently the law will be strictly enforced.

The hoteliers and business people in attendance expressed their support for the property rental tax bill, which they consider to be sufficiently sustained and motivated, and believe will have a positive effect on Puerto Vallarta.

Previously, Susana Rodríguez Mejía, the president of the Tourism Buildings Commission, presented information on the impact of digital platforms such as Airbnb and stressed that it is important "to set clear rules on the table so that the destination can continue to grow."

Anguiano Orozco also reported that he is promoting the State's Public Trusts Law initiative, whose intention is for all four of the tourist promotion trusts in the entity to work under the same scheme, using the Metropolitan Zone as a model for the system.