Visiting your nutritionist is now a tax-deductible expense in Mexico

Starting in 2017, Mexico's Tax Administration Service (which is comparable to the IRS in the US) will allow taxpayers to deduct nutritionist expenses as part of a new measure by the Finance and Public Credit Ministry aimed at fighting obesity in the country.

Ana Sarez, a specialist at the consultancy firm Sarez Consultoría, explained that this new measure is aimed at spreading awareness on the importance of leading a healthy lifestyle and fighting obesity in the country as a way to prevent diseases in the long term such as diabetes and hypertension.

Sarez said that taxpayers can apply the tax incentive like any other personal income tax deduction in their annual tax return. However, this type of deduction is capped at 15% of a taxpayer's total annual earnings or five times the annual minimum wage, which ever is lower.

The only requirement, she continued, is providing the nutritionist's tax receipt that corroborates the consultation and the provision of the specialist's services.

According to the most recent National Survey on Health and Nutrition (ENSANUT), which was conducted in 2012, one out of every three children in Mexico is either overweight or obese. 70% of all adults in Mexico fall into this category. Due to the severity that this problem poses in the country, the federal government has declared obesity a public health epidemic in the country.