Faced with the growing number of accommodations offered on platforms like Airbnb, hoteliers in San Miguel de Allende have raised their voices to demand equality in tax collection. They assert that there are currently more houses for rent through apps than hotel rooms, which they consider unfair competition.
Mayor Mauricio Trejo expressed his support for the hotel sector, stating that the municipality already applies a tax to these properties and is working to establish equitable tax conditions between the two accommodation models. However, he indicated that it is the state’s responsibility to regulate these properties to ensure equality.
Francisco Aguirre, president of the San Miguel de Allende Promotion Council, noted that while hotel occupancy is positive and the promotion of the destination is effective, this situation favors Airbnb accommodations, which are not regulated or taxed like hotels.
Aguirre stated that there are approximately 7,500 houses for rent through platforms compared to only 3,500 hotel rooms, reflecting a clear disadvantage for the formal sector.
He explained that the municipality does collect a land-use tax, but Airbnb hosts do not pay the state lodging tax that SATEG requires from hotels, which represents a significant loss of revenue for the state. “We don’t know if it’s due to negligence or a lack of political will, but the legislature hasn’t met with these platforms to require them to pay taxes,” he lamented.
He added that a hotel pays a 4% lodging tax, and that 4% is what Airbnb doesn’t pay, and that the state doesn’t collect it.
Aguirre also criticized the fact that Airbnb hosts don’t generate formal employment or offer decent working conditions, such as social security, to those who clean or maintain their homes. “That allows them to have lower prices and compete unequally,” he denounced.
For his part, Mayor Mauricio Trejo reiterated his support for hoteliers and emphasized that the municipality has already taken the first step by collecting land-use taxes. However, he acknowledged that the regulation and collection of the lodging tax is the responsibility of the State Government. He explained that this tax could be channeled to trusts like FIDESEG to finance tourism projects promoted by private enterprise.
Trejo explained that Airbnbs enjoy lower rates for services such as water and electricity, without assuming the same commitments as hoteliers, which increases the indignation of the industry. He asserted that the State Tourism Secretariat should focus its efforts on this issue and not just on promoting events.
“If the hoteliers, who are the private sector, are asking for a tax to be collected and for that tax to go to another trust fund to support tourism, from their point of view, that’s excellent. They are within their rights and are obligated to do so in order to survive. Here in San Miguel de Allende, there are already more Airbnb rooms than hotels, and occupancy is already 2 percentage points higher for Airbnb than for hotels,” Trejo stated.
He asserted that, “the Ministry of Tourism must work on these issues. It’s not about going to the tourism market and saying that San Miguel de Allende won the best wedding destination again. That’s our victory, not the state government’s. The Ministry of Tourism must be working harder on these important issues, the regulation of Airbnb. That is Lupita Robles’ main task this year. I fully support the hoteliers because Airbnb is unfair competition.”
He added that San Miguel de Allende is doing the same; they have already taken the first step with Congress to allow them to Authorize charging them a fee for the land-use change, and with that, they’ll pay the same rate as hotels. Now they need to pay their lodging taxes to the State Government.
He also called on representatives from all political parties to join in regulating Airbnb: Morena, for social justice; the PAN, for wealth generation; the PRI, for equity; and the PT, for decent employment. “It’s a matter of justice and common interest,” he emphasized.
“An Airbnb, even if it has a maid, doesn’t have social security coverage. Morena, for social justice, who seek social justice, could see the need to regulate Airbnb. The PAN, which is in power, should see the Airbnb issue as an issue of income, of wealth creation. I know they’re going to be offended, but all PAN governments don’t know anything other than debt, but they don’t know how to create wealth. So, PAN representatives should be interested in Airbnb to generate wealth, which is what they haven’t been able to do. PRI representatives should be interested in this issue for the sake of equity and fair competition, and those from the Labor Party should be even more interested in regulating Airbnb to generate well-paid jobs with social security. That’s the importance the parties can give it, and they should take hoteliers by the hand to support them,” said Mauricio Trejo.
Finally, Trejo clarified that as mayor, his ability to convince the state Congress is limited. “We will do our part, but change has to come from the state. Hoteliers know they have an ally in me, and if I can’t help them in the next two years and seven months, I will from 2027 to 2030,” he concluded.
Source: oem
