How Mexico Ropes in Hydrocarbon Tax Evasion

In the dimly lit conference room, a hush fell over the assembled figures. Congressman Manuel Rodríguez González (Morena), a man with a steely glint in his eye and a booming voice, addressed the room. The occasion? Not a clandestine poker game (though the tension was palpable), but a forum titled “The Importance of Regulation and Certification in the Measurement of Hydrocarbons to Combat Tax Evasion.”

This wasn't your average dry policy discussion. This was a war council, a gathering of the best minds in the energy sector, united against a common enemy – the elusive, shape-shifting foe known as tax evasion. At stake? The very lifeblood of the nation's economy: hydrocarbons.

The forum, held within the framework of the “Sector Dialogues, Perspectives, and Challenges in Metrology Vision 2030,” felt more like a heist movie plot than a bureaucratic meeting. It was a celebration, yes, the 30th anniversary of the National Metrology Center (CENAM), but with a serious undercurrent.

Rodríguez González, the chairman of the Energy Commission, laid it all out on the table. Clear regulations and national standards, he declared, were no mere bureaucratic cobwebs. They were the stethoscopes of the economy, the instruments needed to ensure healthy, accurate, and verifiable measurements. With these tools, the authorities could finally plug the leaks – the ones hemorrhaging public revenue through tax evasion.

Hydrocarbons, the lifeblood of industry, were more than just black gold. They were the fuel propelling the nation forward. But like any valuable resource, they attracted opportunists seeking to siphon off a share for themselves. This tax evasion, Rodríguez González emphasized, wasn't just a slap in the face to responsible businesses. It was a silent thief, stealing from public services, education, infrastructure – the very things that made a healthy economy thrive.

The battle plan? Not tanks and missiles, but something far more precise – certified expertise. Rodríguez González, with the air of a general issuing orders, explained how his commission had recently approved a point of agreement. The Energy Regulatory Commission (CRE), the Ministry of Economy, and the Tax Administration Service (SAT) were all being brought into the fold. Their mission? To enforce existing regulations on hydrocarbon measurement, ensuring everyone played by the same, meticulously calibrated, rules.

But regulations alone weren't enough. The soldiers on the ground, the technical experts and inspectors, needed to be armed with the right knowledge. Minimum technical competencies, Rodríguez González declared, were the ammunition needed to fight this war.

The Wild West of Oil Gets a Sheriff

Remember the Wild West? A land of boomtowns, fast money, and, let's face it, a bit of loosey-goosey measuring when it came to that black gold everyone craved. Well, the Mexican hydrocarbons sector wasn't exactly a paragon of precise measurement either, at least not until CENAM, the National Metrology Center, rode into town 30 years ago.

Back then, according to José Martín Calvo Morales, CENAM's Director of Flow and Volume, things were a bit…shall we say, fluid. “No regulations, no real demands,” he chuckles. Pemex, the national oil giant, was mostly the only player, and their measurement systems, well, let's just say a barrel could be a bit more generous depending on who was holding the dipstick.

The energy reform, however, brought a whole new posse to town. Suddenly, other companies were vying for a piece of the pie. This, of course, meant more measuring, and with more measuring comes the potential for…discrepancies.

Enter CENAM, the sheriff in this hydrocarbon whodunit. They train Pemex employees to ensure their measurements are up to snuff, using workshops and courses that are stricter than a cactus in a dust storm. But even the best gunslingers make mistakes, so CENAM also works with Pemex to estimate the wiggle room – the acceptable margin of error, if you will. Think of it as a buffer zone to account for the occasional tumbleweed (or rogue droplet) that might skew the results. And to keep everyone honest, CENAM does real-time monitoring, making sure those measurements stay on the straight and narrow.

Roberto Villeda Suárez, General Director of Professional Calibrations and Engineering (CalPro), sees this as a golden opportunity, not just to clean up the act, but to build a stronger, more prosperous oil industry. Regulation and certification, he argues, are like a shiny new badge on a sheriff's chest – they instill confidence. Investors get peace of mind knowing the measurements are legit. Regulators get a clear picture of what's going on down in those oil wells. Everyone plays by the same set of rules, which, in the Wild West of hydrocarbons, is a rare and valuable commodity.

But cleaning up a whole industry takes more than just a badge and a squeaky-clean six-shooter. Technology, Villeda Suárez emphasizes, is the trusty steed in this equation. Gone are the days of counting barrels one by one (though that might be a charming image for a history buff). Now, cutting-edge tools help CENAM ensure accurate measurements, even for the massive volumes of oil Mexico produces (a cool 1.6 million barrels a day, in case you were wondering).

Roberto Arias Romero, General Director of CENAM Mechanical Metrology, takes the analogy a step further. He sees technology as the trusty lasso, allowing CENAM to wrangle even the most complex measurement systems. And let's face it, when you're dealing with a nation that guzzles an average of 1.6 liters of petroleum products per person per day, precise measurement becomes paramount. It's not just about keeping the books straight; it's about ensuring everyone gets their fair share, from the government to the everyday citizen.

As a result, the Wild West may not be entirely tamed, but at least when it comes to measurement, CENAM has brought a much-needed sense of order and transparency.

Source: Realizan foro “La importancia de la regulación y certificación en la medición de hidrocarburos para combatir la evasión fiscal.” http://comunicacionsocial.diputados.gob.mx/index.php/boletines/realizan-foro-la-importancia-de-la-regulacion-y-certificacion-en-la-medicion-de-hidrocarburos-para-combatir-la-evasion-fiscal-. Accessed 3 May 2024.