The licensing process for the sale of alcoholic beverages has become a lucrative business for both local authorities and some Ministry of Health officials, according to accounts from some of those who already have the license.
A few months ago, Jordy Abraham Martnez, president of the Valladolid Yucatán Restaurant Association (Arvay), denounced Mayor Alfredo Fernández Arceo asking restaurateurs for $150,000 as a “mandatory donation” to get a license to sell alcoholic beverages. He also threatened to report the mayor to the relevant authorities for corruption, bribery, and abuse of office.
Now, restaurateurs say that allowing local authorities and Ministry of Health officials to sell alcoholic beverages has become a lucrative business.
Some of the businesspeople interviewed agreed that Fernández Arceo is asking them to pay US$150,000 in cash as a mandatory donation, in addition to the US$30,000 that the law stipulates was paid for the license itself, for a total of US$180,000. Dollar.
In the case of $150,000, the City Council will issue a receipt that says “provisional cash receipt” and has no official value. So it is money that cannot be considered an investment or verified as an expense.
On the other hand, if the restaurateurs pay the $30,000, they will receive an official document since it is a resource that the community receives according to the law. After obtaining municipal approval, it is necessary to travel to the city of Mérida to carry out a similar procedure at the State Secretariat of Health.
But on a corner, before they reach the offices, the businessmen affirm, they are intercepted by employees of this state agency and asked, “Are you coming to administer consent?”
If the answer is affirmative, they say to themselves, “You must pay $120,000, and it will be paid to you immediately; otherwise, you will have to wait until you can.”
In this dependency, the allowable price is much lower but has not been specified. So if the entrepreneur urgently needs a permit and has money to pay, he will have no problem.
Those affected end up paying more than $300,000 just to be able to sell alcoholic beverages until 10 p.m.
In the event that someone wants to extend their hours, they will have to make an additional payment, the amount of which has not been specified. Juan Antonio Osorio Osorno
