By Luis Montoya
SAN ANTONIO, Texas — Nuevo León Governor Samuel García Sepúlveda pitched a series of high-impact border tax incentives to South Texas civic and business leaders during his keynote address at the 2026 North American Development Bank (NADBank) Summit, framing a newly established tax-free zone near the Colombia International Bridge as the cornerstone of cross-border trade.
Speaking in San Antonio as he nears the conclusion of his first four years as governor, García announced that the state has officially enacted legal decrees establishing tax-free industrial nodes under the federal “Plan Mexico” framework.
The primary site, located directly on the Texas-Nuevo León border adjacent to Webb County, spans 40 hectares designed to streamline logistics and manufacturing while eliminating major tax burdens for U.S. investors.
“If any Texan, if any U.S. investor wants to invest, but your main purpose is to assemble and return to the U.S., it does not make sense to go all the way down to Monterrey,” García said, highlighting the logistical edge of avoiding a two-hour transit south. “Now you can invest and build your industry on the border, just one minute from Laredo.”
Under the newly implemented free-zone rules:
- Tax Exemptions: Companies operating in the zone are exempt from federal income tax and import-export tariffs.
- Rapid Refunds: Any value-added tax (VAT) paid is refunded within 24 hours.
- Local Relief: Nuevo León is waiving state-level payroll taxes and municipal property taxes.
Unlike temporary import regimes such as the IMMEX program, García emphasized that the Colombia site operates as a permanent tax-free haven. A second 400-acre tax-free cluster is also being established in Pesquería, target-built for suppliers connected to Kia and Ternium.
The ‘Golden Triangle’ and Infrastructure Growth
The border development forms a central piece of García’s vision to integrate what he termed the “Golden Triangle”—an economic corridor anchoring Houston, San Antonio, and Monterrey.
Since taking office, Nuevo León’s trade footprint through the Colombia crossing has scaled from 800 daily freight trucks in 2022 to over 10,000 daily crossings. García noted that recent federal approvals for two additional international bridge lanes—including designated “Green Corridors” for efficient freight—represent a $17 billion logistics investment pipeline.
Addressing the summit with a power-point presentation, García credited a critical 2017 Mexican Supreme Court precedent interpreting Article 118 of the Mexican Constitution, which granted border states legal authority to negotiate direct economic, commercial, and infrastructure agreements with foreign partners.
Economic Metrics and Texas Integration
During his presentation, the governor detailed foreign direct investment (FDI) figures, reporting that Nuevo León attracted $135 billion in FDI over his four-year term—a massive surge driven by global nearshoring trends in high-tech manufacturing, electro-mobility, and data infrastructure.
Major global brands expanding corporate or manufacturing operations in the state include Volvo, Lego, Ternium, and Kia.
Highlighting the deep integration between northern Mexico and Texas manufacturing pipelines, García pointed to the automotive supply chain anchored in Austin and South Texas.
“The Model Y produced in Austin has 65 percent of its components sourced from Monterrey,” García said, noting that over 200 Tier-2 suppliers established operations in Nuevo León to supply major EV operations across the border.
García closed by inviting South Texas leadership to inspect the expanded infrastructure at the Colombia border crossing and explore collaborative projects along the border.
