Small corner stores have seen a 30 percent decrease in soda sales so far this year, according to Luis Contreras Ramírez, president of the National Chamber of Small Businesses, Services and Tourism of Mérida, Yucatán.
The leader of the small business owners indicated that this impact stems from the increase in the tax on sugary drinks that went into effect this year.
It’s worth noting that this measure was implemented by the federal government to reduce the consumption of sodas and sugary beverages. The tax increased from 1.6451 pesos per liter in 2025 to 3.0818 pesos in 2026.
Contreras Ramírez explained that this 30 percent decrease is significant, but they hope to find alternative ways to compensate for this loss, which, he said, represents a substantial portion of their income.
“We hope that natural or local products will be sought to offset this decrease. We don’t sell those [sodas], but we make up for it in other ways.”
He said he was aware that the increase in taxes on sugary drinks is for the good of public health; however, they hope to find a strategy that benefits small businesses.
In this context, he explained that power outages do represent a loss for them, especially because suppliers don’t recognize them as losses, and often the product spoils.
This is due to the high demand for energy. The number of businesses in the state is growing, and that’s why these power outages and dips occur.
He said he was convinced that, with the operation of the combined-cycle power plants, the energy supply problem in the state will end.
On this topic, he said that they are currently updating the database to have an accurate count of how many small stores there are, at least in Mérida, and then extend the census to the rest of the state.
He noted that this is part of the digitization process they are about to embark on, as well as the generational shift they are undergoing. All of this, he assured, will increase the competitiveness of small businesses.
Source: posta
