Accounting and Corporate Governance students achieve second place in the 2026 Fiscal Marathon

Ximena Torres

An essential requirement for fulfilling tax obligations is the accuracy to report profits, calculate rates, and apply formulas. This is the skill that the ITESO students who participated in the 2026 Tax Marathon of the Guadalajara College of Public Accountants had to demonstrate.

The competition tested university students' knowledge of the Mexican tax system, as expressed in the Federal Tax Code, the Value Added Tax Law (VAT), the Income Tax Law (ISR), and the Special Tax on Production and Services Law (IEPS). After a questionnaire on these regulations and the resolution of a practical case study, Victoria Lomelí, Alondra Martínez, Emiliano Hernández, and Elizabeth Camacho, students of the Bachelor's Degree in Accounting and Corporate Governance, achieved second place.

As in other marathons organized by the Guadalajara College of Public Accountants, the practical exercise was based on the procedures outlined in the aforementioned regulations. This time, the specific task was to calculate the provisional tax payments for a corporation. This is a monthly payment that all companies are required to make as an advance against their annual income tax return.

“Provisional payments will be the amounts resulting from applying the rate established in Article 9 of this law to the taxable income determined in accordance with the preceding section,” states Article 14 of the Income Tax Law. To understand this and other regulatory provisions, the ITESO winners prepared for weeks in study sessions led by Pablo Altamirano Palacios, an academic and coordinator of the university's Auditing Academy.

An experience to deepen knowledge

Victoria, Alondra, Emiliano, and Elizabeth say that the most challenging aspect for them was mastering the vast amount of information that shapes the Mexican tax system. All of this information is compiled in the 2026 Tax Handbook, a book with tax rate tables and numerical exercises that they consulted during their preparation. They also stated that the clear definition of the study topics provided by the College of Public Accountants was a major help.

“We had to know the format (of the procedures) because we created them from scratch and couldn't use legal references. [...] There's a lot of information, and everything is sequential; if you make a mistake in a sum, the accounts don't add up. The practical exercise involved a table, and each piece of data had to be well-organized to show the entire procedure, not just say 'this is the payment',” Victoria explains.

Alondra complements this perspective based on her experience in another accounting marathon, in which she participated months earlier: “This time there was a specific route and a correct answer, not like last time when we could answer: 'in the event that... we would do this'.”

The students had to extend their weekly study and work hours to attend advising sessions and commit to other preparation activities. From their perspective, tax law is one of the most complex areas of their profession, and consequently, the marathon is one of the most demanding competitions organized by the College of Public Accountants of Guadalajara.

Elizabeth recalls that a year ago, when other ITESO students won the 2025 Fiscal Marathon, she thought it was a very distant goal. “I didn’t know them, but I thought, ‘Wow, they must be amazing people,’” she says admiringly. Then she became a winner herself and became more aware of her own abilities.

Emiliano shares this perspective, as at the beginning of his preparation he wasn't sure how he would manage. “I realized the capacity we have when we focus on studying a topic we find very difficult. [...] That's what I take away from this: that I'm able to understand the topics and not just remember seeing them in a class. The experience taught me to be more attentive and precise with the details,” he says.

Although there were moments of uncertainty, the students say they would compete again, as the competition was a platform to test their knowledge and deepen their academic training. They hope their experience will motivate other students to participate in the marathons organized by the College of Public Accountants of Guadalajara. “It was an opportunity to make my mark at ITESO. I knew it was going to be tough, but that I was going to learn more, and that's exactly what happened,” Elizabeth concludes.