The municipality of Isla Mujeres says the new Environmental Sanitation tax has been put into effect. In a press release, the municipality reported that “after the reforms to the Environmental Sanitation Law that the State Congress approved and that was published in the Official State Newspaper in December 2021, and with the objective of contributing to the sustainability of the municipality of Isla Mujeres, these reforms entered into force at the beginning of this year.”

The municipality of Isla Mujeres elaborated that “visitors who arrive in the municipality by sea in private boats, as well as those who stay in the different lodging centers, will be charged the tax per person as of January 1 of the current year.”

They also clarified that the Derecho de Saneamiento Ambiental or DSA tax, as it is locally referred to, does not apply to people “who live or work on the island, or who are citizens of Quintana Roo.”

For those who temporarily visit the municipality without staying overnight, nautical companies must withhold varying sums. In January, that sum has been 17.92 peso, however, in February, it will increase to 19.24 to match the country’s UMA or Unidad de Medida y Actualización, an economic reference in pesos to determine the amount of obligated payments.

Visitors who book stays in hotels, inns, guests houses and motels must pay 30 percent of the UMA or 26.89 peso per night per person during the month of January. In February, overnighting visitors to the municipality of Isla Mujeres will be charged 28.86 per night per person.

Earlier this month, the Cancun Hotel Association lobbied against the tax, saying it would only hurt area businesses by increasing the price of hotels and making the region less competitive.