No need for fiscal reform in Mexico, finance minister says

MEXICO CITY, May 12 (Reuters) - Fiscal reform in Mexico is not on the table at the moment, the nation's finance minister said in an interview published on Monday.

Finance Minister Edgar Amador shrugged off the suggestion when asked by a columnist for newspaper Heraldo de Mexico if officials were planning on taking such measures in the next year and a half. He said the nation could instead boost tax revenue by clamping down on tax evasion.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, when she took office last year, inherited the nation's largest budget deficit since the 1980s.

Analysts have questioned how she can fulfill her campaign pledges to increase welfare and the minimum wage while also taming the deficit.

Amador said given uncertainty on trade policy, referring to sweeping tariffs imposed by the U.S., Mexico may log more moderate economic growth than previously expected.

"We're reasonably confident that we'll have positive growth this year," he added, while recognizing that there were risks to the downside.

In a separate interview published on Monday in El Financiero, Amador said there were "many risks" that could affect Mexico's gross domestic product data.

The finance ministry estimates 2025 GDP growth to come in between 1.5% and 2.3% and a fiscal deficit of 4% of the GDP.