Mexican Firm Owes $74B in Taxes, Fights Judicial Reform

Mexico City — The Office of the Federal Tax Prosecutor revealed that a major business conglomerate has accumulated 74 billion pesos in unresolved tax disputes, with efforts to delay payment through litigation and opposition to judicial reforms. The disclosure was made during a press conference at the National Palace by Federal Tax Prosecutor Grisel Galeano García.

Litigation Strategies to Avoid Payment

Galeano García stated that the Grupo Salinas has employed extensive legal maneuvers, including lawsuits, injunctions, and challenges against judges and justices, to indefinitely postpone tax obligations dating back over 16 years. Currently, the group faces 32 active lawsuits: three before Mexico’s Supreme Court (SCJN), five in collegiate courts, and eleven in the Federal Court of Administrative Justice. An additional 13 cases are pending before the Tax Administration Service (SAT).

The SAT completed audits in 2016, confirming substantial unpaid taxes, but the group has yet to settle its debts. The first detected omission occurred in 2008.

Government Links Opposition to Judicial Reform to Financial Interests

President Claudia Sheinbaum asserted that criticism of her administration’s judicial reform—which introduces popular elections for judges and justices—stems from business and media sectors that benefited from past judicial collusion. “This business group has ties to those who delayed or manipulated judicial decisions,” Sheinbaum said. “That’s why there’s so much anger and criticism against the reform.”

She emphasized that the newly elected justices must ensure impartial justice “for all, without distinction or privilege.”

Breakdown of Tax Debts

According to Galeano García, the group’s pending cases include:

• 26 billion pesos in disputes before the Supreme Court.
• 20 billion pesos in collegiate courts.
• 8 billion pesos in the Federal Court of Administrative Justice.
• 20 billion pesos across other legal venues.

The Tax Prosecutor’s Office reaffirmed its commitment to recovering unpaid funds and exposing the motives behind the protracted litigation.