Recently, a controversy has erupted in Mexico led by some citizens who consider themselves part of the opposition to the current government. They have launched a campaign proposing to stop paying taxes, following the example of Gerardo Fernández Noroña, who in 2017 carried out an act of civil disobedience by refusing to pay taxes. However, the current president of the Senate of the Republic believes that this initiative will not succeed.
The campaign gained momentum when Mexican businessman Ricardo Salinas Pliego, amid a conflict with the previous government of Andrés Manuel López Obrador, shared a video on social media of the senator from seven years ago in which he stated that he would not pay taxes. Salinas Pliego, noted for owing taxes to the SAT, used Fernández Noroña's video to allude to his own situation and indirectly promote tax disobedience.
In 2017, Fernández Noroña decided to stop paying taxes in protest against the increase in fuel prices, which he considered unfair and reflective of the government's policy at that time, with which he disagreed. He has always supported former president López Obrador, and his civil disobedience was a way to confront what he considered an unfavorable administration.
Under the current government of Claudia Sheinbaum, the opposition has begun to promote a similar campaign. Some of its members propose to stop fulfilling their tax obligations, taking Fernández Noroña's act as inspiration, as a way to express their dissatisfaction with the government. Despite this, the senator has dismissed the viability of this new initiative, challenging his opponents to carry it out.
For their part, some Mexican opponents have expressed their intention to challenge the new government by refusing to pay taxes. Groups have called for protests in Mexico City, suggesting demonstrations outside the National Palace as part of their rejection of tax contributions.
