Written for Mexico. This analysis applies to Mexican federal tax law — ISR (income tax), IVA (VAT) and SAT rules — and cites Mexican statutes. Amounts are in Mexican pesos (MXN).
Most Mexican companies confuse having an accountant with having a tax strategy. The accountant records and files — indispensable, but reactive. Tax consulting operates one level up: it designs the structure, anticipates the impact of every meaningful decision, and builds the evidence that defends it. The difference shows up in net profit and, above all, the day a review arrives.
What serious tax consulting does (in Mexico, not in the abstract)
Planning within the legal framework: choosing the optimal regime and structure, taking advantage of deductions and incentives the LISR (income tax law) actually grants, and modeling the tax impact of decisions before making them — an expansion, an asset purchase, a partner coming in. Always with the standard of art. 5-A of the CFF (federal tax code) in mind: every structure needs a documented business reason, not just a tax benefit.
Prevention: monitoring the obligations the SAT (Mexico's tax administration) audits with automatic cross-checks — consistency between CFDIs (digital tax invoices) and returns, suppliers against the 69-B lists, the beneficial-owner (beneficiario controlador) file, a tax mailbox that's actually monitored. Most tax assessments against mid-sized companies are not born of aggressive strategies: they are born of administrative omissions detected by machine.
Defense: when the authority acts — invitation letter, review, assessment — the technical and evidentiary response within unforgiving deadlines. The quality of that defense depends almost entirely on what was documented beforehand.
Was your tax situation designed by someone — or did it just happen?
Strategium's comprehensive diagnostic reviews your regime, your structure, your deductions and your risks, and hands you a prioritized, actionable plan. One session to know exactly where you stand.
When to hire it
When incorporating or restructuring: the choice of vehicle and regime at the outset defines years of tax burden — fixing it later always costs more. When growing: new lines, new partners, new entities: every jump in complexity multiplies the obligations (related parties, transfer pricing, information returns). At any contact from the authority: the worst moment to improvise is with a 15-day deadline running.
What it must deliver (to tell advisory from a monthly meeting)
Consulting that's worth its fees produces papers, not conversations: a prioritized diagnostic where each finding carries its grounds, its risk label and its value in pesos; an implementation plan with owners and a calendar (the strategy that isn't executed is an expensive PDF); and the defense file for every structure implemented: contracts with fecha cierta (a certain, provable date), evidence of substance (materiality) and the business reason written down before anyone asks for it. What that file looks like when it's well built is shown in the tax dossier — and you can take the first look at your situation yourself with the tax exposure diagnostic.
How to tell consulting from selling hot air
Three filters. One: it explains the legal grounds of each recommendation — article and risk — instead of promising you generic savings percentages. Two: it talks to you about documentation and substance as much as about savings; whoever sells only the savings is selling you the cheap half of the work. Three: it says no to schemes that don't survive 5-A and 69-B — "no simulated schemes" is not a slogan, it's the filter that separates planning from deferred contingency.
Frequently asked questions
Does tax consulting replace my accountant?
No: it complements them. The accountant runs the day-to-day (bookkeeping, payroll, returns); consulting designs the strategy and the defense. The best results come from the two working in coordination.
Is it only for large companies?
No. The reasonable entry point is when your annual tax burden or your risk exposure justifies professional fees — typically much sooner than business owners think. An initial diagnostic settles it with numbers.
What do I need for a first diagnostic?
Your latest annual returns, access to your tax status certificate (constancia de situación fiscal) and compliance opinion, and an honest conversation about your operation. That's enough to build the initial map of opportunities and risks.
How often should the tax strategy be reviewed?
At least once a year, BEFORE the year-end close — most optimization moves only work if executed before December 31, not discovered in the annual return in March or April. And also at every relevant event: a major asset purchase, partners entering or leaving, a new line of business or any contact from the authority. Tax strategy expires faster than its PDFs.
Let's talk about your case
Every structure, every operation and every family is different. The first step is always the same: an honest diagnostic of where you stand. Write to us on WhatsApp or call — a reply the same business day.