Mercado Libre announced tax burdens for the provinces: the details

Mercado Libre confirmed that starting July 8th, it will begin differentiating between national and provincial taxes on each transaction on its platforms. This measure seeks to make the impact of the Gross Income Tax transparent in each jurisdiction, amid significant differences in provincial tax rates.

The company led by Marcos Galperín argues that these differences create distortions and harm both sellers and consumers. Therefore, they decided to modify their fee system to clearly reflect the impact of local taxes. "To make the impact of local taxes more transparent, for the first time Mercado Libre and Mercado Pago will differentiate the fees for selling in each province," they explained in an official statement.

The province of Santa Fe has one of the highest gross income tax rates in the country: 9%. Along with Jujuy (7%) and Córdoba (6.75%), these jurisdictions will see an increase in the fees that Mercado Libre will apply to their users. In contrast, in provinces such as Corrientes , Río Negro , Santa Cruz , Formosa , and Santiago del Estero , where rates are lower, the costs of operating on the platform will decrease. In the rest of the country, according to the company, there will be no significant changes.

The company's decision has sparked widespread debate about the tax burden facing financial technologies. Mercado Libre described Ingresos Grossos as "a distorting tax that affects sellers and consumers, increases the price of products and services, hinders formalization, and generates higher costs."

This tax, which varies by jurisdiction, directly impacts every fee charged by virtual wallets and, in some cases, by banks as well. According to Infobae , this situation hampers business planning, reduces profit margins, and creates uncertainty about the sustainability of some operations in high-tax regions.

In a post on its official X account, Mercado Libre explained that until now, operating fees were the same across the country, but that growing differences in provincial rates require a change in this approach. They argued that users in provinces with lower tax burdens are disadvantaged by this uniform system, and so they will begin to apply differentiated rates based on the tax level of each jurisdiction. The message concluded with the hashtag #BastadeIngresosGrutos .

Furthermore, the company emphasized that the new system seeks to protect sellers operating under more favorable tax conditions, thus encouraging competitiveness and the formalization of transactions. However, they also acknowledged that in provinces with higher tax rates, operating costs may increase significantly, which could impact the final price for the consumer.