Summary
Highlights
Businesses have options for acquiring fixed assets: direct purchase, financed purchase, financial leasing, or pure leasing. Financial leasing includes a purchase option at the end of the contract, while pure leasing involves returning the asset after the contract term.
According to Mexican financial reporting standard NIF D5, financial leasing recognizes the asset as part of 'property, plant, and equipment' and a corresponding liability. The asset is then depreciated. Pure leasing, also known as operational leasing, is treated as an expense, depending on its use.
For tax purposes, a key consideration for automobiles is the deduction limit of 175,000 MXN. An 'automobile' is defined as a land vehicle with a maximum capacity of 10 passengers. Pickup trucks are not considered automobiles and do not have this limit.
Under Article 28, Fraction III, of the ISR Law, there's a daily deduction limit of 200 MXN for automobiles in pure leasing. This means that for a monthly payment of 10,000 MXN, only 6,080 MXN would be deductible, while 4,000 MXN would not. This limit does not apply to pickup trucks.
For financial leasing, the asset is considered an investment (fixed asset) for tax purposes. An annual depreciation rate of 25% is applied, allowing the deduction over 4 years. The 200 MXN daily limit does not apply here; instead, the investment deduction with an update factor is used.
Using a daily limit of 200 MXN, a monthly deduction limit for pure leasing is 6,080 MXN. For a 300,000 MXN vehicle leased over 36 months with a monthly payment of 8,333 MXN, the non-deductible excess in pure leasing is 2,253 MXN. For financial leasing, the maximum deductible investment of 175,000 MXN is effectively recovered over 28.78 months of equivalent pure leasing deductions.
It's crucial to evaluate accessory expenses based on a proportional calculation (Article 28, Fraction II), and VAT will follow the same treatment as the income tax. Before deciding, compare options based on cash flow and consider the business reason. While financial leasing deducts over 48 months, pure leasing offers a faster deduction over 28 months, which might be more favorable.