Billionaire Salinas Faces $2.8 Billion Mexico Tax Claim Showdown
(Bloomberg) — Companies controlled by billionaire Ricardo Salinas Pliego will face a multibillion-dollar tax bill in January and Pliego will have to pay it or suffer the consequences, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said Friday.
Mexico’s tax chief, Antonio Martinez Dagnino, told the president’s daily media conference that a 51 billion pesos ($2.8 billion) tax demand will be sent to Salinas’ companies next month, stemming from audits conducted from 2008 to 2013, following a series of Supreme Court rulings.
Sheinbaum denied Salinas’ claims that the government was going after his companies because of his opposition to his party and criticism of corruption and security issues.
“Then in January they will be notified and hopefully they will pay,” Sheinbaum said. “If they don’t, then another process will begin, which will be a topic for another time.”
Salinas, in a post on A significant portion of the claims were penalty fees arising from the lengthy tax dispute, he said.
“Achieving a fair solution, solving this problem institutionally and strengthening the rule of law that our country needs will only be possible with clear, legal and verifiable information,” he wrote.
The tax war between the Mexican government and the billionaire dates back nearly a decade, but the fight has intensified since Sheinbaum took office.
He has repeatedly criticized Salinas in public statements and cited his long-running tax allegations as examples of how the powerful use endless precautionary measures to evade tax decisions. “It is important to know that this is a legal and administrative issue,” he said Friday.
Martinez Dagnino said Salinas businesses can get up to a 39% discount on claims, depending on the payment plan they offer. Mexican tax law allows different measures, including asset seizure, if companies refuse to pay.
Just on Thursday, Salinas compared himself to US President Donald Trump, who came under harsh criticism for comments he made on his own news network during his visit to the US this week.
He played golf with one of his sons in South Florida, visited Mar-a-Lago and attended a Christmas dinner at the White House on Thursday, according to his social media posts.
In September, Salinas had launched a political campaign to oppose Sheinbaum, leading to rumors of a possible future presidential run.
His administration accused Salinas of being among a group of right-wing politicians and business leaders who bankrolled a Gen Z protest march that turned violent in November.
Salinas is one of Mexico’s richest men, with an estimated net worth of $7.5 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index; But his fortune fell by several billion dollars last year when shares of white goods retailer and bank Grupo Elektra tumbled following a long trading halt.
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