Salinas Pliego’s Legal Gambit: Desperation Behind a Billion-Peso Tax War

Ricardo Salinas Pliego, one of Mexico’s wealthiest and most controversial businessmen, is waging a high-stakes legal and public relations battle to avoid paying a staggering tax bill that could reach 74 billion pesos. While Salinas insists he is willing to pay “what is correct,” his rhetoric increasingly leans on claims of political persecution, casting himself as a victim of government overreach. Yet the facts suggest otherwise: his fiscal troubles began years ago, under an administration that was politically friendly to him, undermining his narrative of persecution.

The embattled owner of TV Azteca, Grupo Elektra, and Banco Azteca has filed dozens of appeals before the Supreme Court of Justice (SCJN), reportedly more than 50 in recent months, in an attempt to delay definitive rulings. These maneuvers are not new; Salinas has pursued a strategy of endless litigation to avoid immediate payment, even as courts consistently rule against him. Recent decisions ordered Elektra to pay 2 billion pesos in taxes from 2012 and TV Azteca to pay more than 3.5 billion pesos from 2009. The consistent defeats in tribunals undercut his claims of being singled out unfairly.

Salinas argues that the SAT, Mexico’s tax authority, has acted with political motives, weaponizing fiscal disputes to silence him. He alleges that he reached an agreement to pay around 10 billion pesos, only to see it rescinded because the government could not politically afford to let him walk away exonerated. He presents this as evidence of extortion and persecution, amplified through his personal social media channels and media empire. Yet these assertions lack legal confirmation, and no official documentation supports his claim of a binding settlement.

What Salinas omits is the sheer scale of the tax claim. The 74 billion pesos in question would represent the profits of multiple years of his companies, a financial burden large enough to threaten the stability of his empire. His insistence that paying this sum would bankrupt his operations is not entirely untrue; the liability is massive. But bankruptcy risk is not persecution—it is the natural consequence of prolonged tax avoidance and repeated defeats in court. The fact that other corporate giants, including Walmart, have faced similar disputes and reached settlements, further exposes the weakness of his argument that he is uniquely targeted.

Ironically, Salinas’s problems mounted during Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s presidency—a government in which he enjoyed influence and access, including membership on a presidential business advisory council. That political proximity complicates his current narrative. Far from being an outsider oppressed by power, Salinas is a longtime insider now facing the consequences of years of unresolved liabilities.

The case has become more than a fiscal dispute; it is a test of whether Mexico’s wealthiest can be held accountable to the same standards as ordinary taxpayers. Salinas’s ongoing defiance reflects both his desperation and the potential fragility of his business empire, built on decades of aggressive financial maneuvers. His narrative of persecution may find resonance with some, but the weight of judicial rulings and the scale of the debt suggest that what he faces is not political punishment, but the long-delayed arrival of fiscal accountability.

Keywords: Ricardo Salinas Pliego, SAT, Grupo Elektra, TV Azteca, Banco Azteca, Mexican Supreme Court, fiscal evasion, tax liability, political persecution narrative, bankruptcy risk

Sources:

Once Noticias – Salinas Pliego aún busca protección de la SCJN (26 Aug 2025) - https://oncenoticias.digital/nacional/salinas-pliego-aun-busca-proteccion-de-la-scjn/511213/

El Soberano – Salinas Pliego demanda a AMLO para evadir pago de 70 mil millones (26 Aug 2025) - https://elsoberano.mx/2025/08/25/salinas-pliego-demanda-a-amlo-para-evadir-pago-de-70-mil-millones/

AS México – Salinas Pliego demanda a AMLO y asegura que sí quiere pagar impuestos “pero lo correcto” (25 Aug 2025) - https://mexico.as.com/actualidad/salinas-pliego-demanda-a-amlo-y-asegura-que-si-quiere-pagar-impuestos-pero-lo-correcto-n/

El País – Ricardo Salinas Pliego pierde otro juicio fiscal: TV Azteca deberá pagar más de 3.500 millones (10 Jul 2025) - https://elpais.com/mexico/2025-07-10/ricardo-salinas-pliego-pierde-otro-juicio-fiscal-tv-azteca-debera-pagar-mas-de-3500-millones-de-pesos-al-fisco-mexicano.html

El País – Un juez ordena a Grupo Elektra el pago de 2.000 millones en impuestos (20 Jun 2025) - https://elpais.com/mexico/2025-06-20/un-juez-ordena-a-grupo-elektra-el-pago-de-2000-millones-de-pesos-en-impuestos-al-sat.html