Reuters AlertNet Full site
Homepage | Newsdesk | NGO Latest | Crisis briefings | Country profiles | MediaWatch | Jobs | Alerting | Login

NEWSDESK

Mexican firms vow to withold taxes in drug protest
22 Oct 2008 21:20:06 GMT
 Source: Reuters
CIUDAD JUAREZ, Mexico, Oct 22 (Reuters) - Businesses in a violent Mexican border city vowed on Wednesday to withhold taxes until the government provides security against drug gangs which have killed over 1,100 people in the town this year.

More than 400 professionals from small- and medium-sized companies ranging from law firms to pharmacy chains and auto parts dealerships protested outside a Finance Ministry building in Ciudad Juarez, complaining that drug cartel extortions were pushing them toward bankruptcy.

"We are not paying anything to the finance ministry. We've already seen 4,500 businesses close down this year because they can't pay the narcos. It's terrorism," said Arturo Corella, owner of autopart dealership chain.

Law and order has collapsed in Ciudad Juarez, located across the border from El Paso, Texas. It is Mexico's most violent city in a drug war that has killed more than 3,725 people nationwide this year.

Local drug baron Vicente Carrillo Fuentes is fighting Mexico's most-wanted man, Joaquin "Shorty" Guzman, head of the Pacific-coast Sinaloa cartel, for control of the city's smuggling routes into the United States. (Reporting by Arturo Perez; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)


AlertNet news is provided by
Email this article       Send comments

NGO latest

•  UMCOR Hotline for October 21, 2008
UMCOR - USA

•  Aid Agencies Send U.S. Food Shipment to North Korea
WV - USA

•  Hunger vs. Financial Crisis
Concern Worldwide U.S.

•  "Vitamin C vs. Measles": A Sweet Drink Gives Children a Second Chance
Red Cross - USA

•  UMCOR Hotline for October 14, 2008
UMCOR - USA

MORE >>

Latest news

•  Mexican firms vow to withold taxes in drug protest

•  WTO revises industry sector approach in Doha push

•  Iraq seeks changes to wording not backbone of pact

•  U.S. pressures Iraq to decide on troop pact

•  FACTBOX-Security developments in Iraq, Oct 22

MORE >>

AlertNet news is provided by

Background information

Facts & figures
Mexico United States of America

Related articles

Breaking stories
 Calif.-based Mongols biker gang members rounded up (1 minute ago)

Darfur violence caused 230,000 to flee in '08 - UN (1 minute ago)

AlertNet insight
 Annan says financial crisis must not undermine action on hunger (1 minute ago)

Aid agency news feed
 UMCOR Hotline for October 21, 2008 (1 minute ago)

Blogs
 The impact of the global financial crisis on humanitarian funding (1 minute ago)

Maps
 Intense hurricane Norbert (1 minute ago)


Del.icio.us Del.icio.us  |   Digg Digg  |   NewsVine NewsVine  |   Reddit Reddit   
Thumb for /thefacts/imagerepository/RTRPICT/2008-10-21T020158Z_01_MEX61_RTRIDSP_2_MEXICO-RIOT_mainimage.jpg|/thenews/pictures/MEX61.htm
Thumb for /thefacts/imagerepository/RTRPICT/2008-10-21T015849Z_01_MEX60_RTRIDSP_2_MEXICO-RIOT_mainimage.jpg|/thenews/pictures/MEX60.htm
Thumb for /thefacts/imagerepository/RTRPICT/2008-10-21T002455Z_01_MEX51_RTRIDSP_2_MEXICO-RIOT_mainimage.jpg|/thenews/pictures/MEX51.htm
Thumb for /thefacts/imagerepository/RTRPICT/2008-10-21T002401Z_01_MEX54_RTRIDSP_2_MEXICO-RIOT_mainimage.jpg|/thenews/pictures/MEX54.htm
Thumb for /thefacts/imagerepository/RTRPICT/2008-10-20T231709Z_01_MEX58_RTRIDSP_2_MEXICO-RIOT_mainimage.jpg|/thenews/pictures/MEX58.htm

Relatives of inmates react after being informed that they passed away, outside a prison in the border city of Reynosa, northern Mexico October 20, 2008. At least 21 prisoners died in ...


More pictures | Galleries
Disclaimers |  Copyright |  Privacy |  Contact Us |  Feedback |  About Us |  RSS XML

Last updated:Wed Oct 22 21:22:50 2008