MEXICO CITY, June 14, 2024 — Grupo Salinas, owned by billionaire Ricardo Salinas Pliego, owes more than 63 billion pesos to Mexico’s Tax Administration Service (SAT), according to SAT head Antonio Martínez Dagnino.
During a morning press conference with President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, Martínez Dagnino detailed that this sum includes over 53 billion pesos from tax disputes following SAT audits of four companies between 2008 and 2018, and an additional 10 billion pesos in tax credits.
Martínez Dagnino highlighted the enormity of Grupo Salinas’ debt, noting that it surpasses the annual budgets of federal entities such as Baja California Sur (21 billion pesos) and Tlaxcala (18 billion pesos).
Over 90 percent of the debt is linked to fiscal consolidation, a mechanism used between 1982 and 2013 allowing taxpayers to offset group-wide gains and losses, resulting in deferred income tax payments. This mechanism did not absolve tax liabilities, which have since accrued due to updates, inflation, and surcharges, pushing the original debt of 38 billion pesos from 17 lawsuits, including seven tax consolidation cases, to its current figure.
Former Federal Fiscal Attorney and current Undersecretary of Human Rights, Population, and Migration, Félix Arturo Medina Padilla, stated that Grupo Salinas has leveraged its legal and corporate structure to challenge and delay a final ruling, preventing the enforcement of tax payments.
Grupo Salinas encompasses around 20 companies across Mexico, including notable entities like Elektra, Banco Azteca, Seguros Azteca, TV Azteca, and internet service provider Totalplay. Earlier this week, the federal government disclosed that Totalplay alone owes more than 1.5 billion pesos in unpaid taxes.
