The Olympic Games are more than a competition between athletes from all corners of the world. Yes, of course this is vital, but ultimately this is a global event where participating cities take advantage of the opportunity to reshape their infrastructure. And it is also a quote closely linked to technological history. In 1968, the Olympic Games in Mexico were held with iconic moments like John Carlos and Tommie Smith’s Black Power salute or the demonstration at the Plaza de las Tres Culturas that resulted in dozens of deaths.

These are moments that have not been erased from the collective memory in the country, nor has the famous “work right”, that is, the vehicle possession or use tax. Why? 50 years later this tax is still associated with the celebration of the Olympic Games. Although there is subtle print in everything.

“tenure of duty”. As in many other countries, Mexico has a tax on vehicle ownership or use. Basically, if you have a car, you have to pay this tax, which serves to support infrastructure, public transport or encourage measures against pollution. Payment varies depending on the volume of the vehicle, model year and parameters such as brand and whether the model is high-end or not. The more luxurious it is, the more you pay.

There are states where this possession was abolished years ago but is still in effect, you have to pay no matter what. Otherwise, the license plate cannot be changed in case of sale, if you are caught, you will probably be charged an additional late fee and if the vehicle is detained due to the violation, you will have to pay it.

Olympics. Okay, yes, a full-fledged road tax. But the reason this is controversial is not (only) because it still applies in some states but not others, but because the creation of “tenure of office” continues to be associated with the celebration of the aforementioned Olympic Games.

As is often the case, the country faced a huge payoff to prepare its center for the arrival of international athletes and the attention of the entire planet. Specifically, around $175 million at the time. Lots of money and “tenure” (we put that in quotes because it is the popular name for a tax) are associated with competition. Essentially, it is said that it is the car owners who help pay for the Olympics.

Myth or reality? The relationship between financing of the ’68 Olympic Games and “tenure” goes back a long way, but Mexican drivers remain clear on two things: that this will be a temporary measure and that they will continue. To pay for the Games celebrated 46 years ago. And not all of them, because as we said, in some of them, such as Sonora, Sinaloa or Jalisco, the tax was abolished over the years.

This view influences both the public and the media, but… is it true? It’s hard to put yourself in the mind of the person who designed the tax, but based on comments from media outlets like Vanguardia or Animal Político, the dates don’t add up. The tax first appeared in the Federal Revenue Code of 1962, issued in December 1961. Later, the tax was detailed in the 1962 Official Gazette and its temporary nature was not mentioned. Even II. Article 10 of the Chapter states that “the tax will be calculated annually and must be paid within the first two months of each year.”

The most relevant is that Mexico was chosen as the venue for the 1963 Olympic Games, so either the government of Adolfo López Mateos had anticipated this choice so far in advance that it was unsafe (it was competing with other important cities), or it was just a coincidence and the “tenure of office” The relationship between ” and the ’68 Games is part of the legend.

throwing weapons. In any case, one thing is clear: It has since mutated and become a weapon of choice. In the 80s, the “franchise” was changed to include vehicles such as airplanes, yachts, motorcycles, helicopters and even water skis in the tax, but with the switch from federal law to local law in 2012, different candidates played with it. They promised to eliminate this if elected.

And there are interesting cases. Enrique Peña Nieto, former governor of the State of Mexico, refused to repeal it, but I promised to repeal it when his administration ended. This situation forced the new governor to fulfill the promise of his predecessor from the same party. Another example is Jaime Rodríguez, who promised to eliminate “tenure” if he won in Nuevo León and admitted after the victory that they could not do so. “Otherwise we won’t be able to have more police officers. We need 600 million pesos to hire a thousand police officers a year,” he commented.

Logical. In any case, the tax came at a time when vehicles were proliferating on the country’s streets, necessitating more resources to be invested in expanding and improving infrastructure. In the same 63, Volkswagen came to Puebla and the “vochito” was consolidated as a popular car, necessitating this investment in improving roads and highways.

But of course, as in these cases, the popular legend will continue to arouse strong debate. It’s hard to imagine executives going so far that Olympic Games celebrations are warranted, but if that’s the case… it was a galactic move on López Mateos’ part.

Because of course, statements like Jaime Rodríguez’s, linking the road tax to police recruitment, leave doubts about what this money, which should go to infrastructure, is used for.

Pictures | FORTEPAN / Romák Eva

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