Thursday, February 14, 2008
Venezuelan Municipality Demands Exxon Pay $110 Million in local taxes
The mayor's office of a Venezuelan municipality is demanding that ExxonMobil Corp. (XOM) pay $110 million in local taxes, opening a new front in the oil company's battles with the country. Humberto Bello, mayor of Independencia, in the municipality of Anzoategui, said the company owes the municipality $110 million for production activities in the region between 2000 and 2006. Bello said the Venezuelan Supreme Court upheld a ruling on October 2007 ordering Exxon to pay. 'We never had any support (from the company) for our social programs,' Bello said. The mayor said he ran for office as an independent and that he's not linked to the ruling coalition headed by President Hugo Chavez. Bello said if Exxon did not comply with the ruling, the municipality would consider other legal mechanisms to force it to pay, including presenting an international lawsuit.
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Can you imagine the billions and billions and billions of dollars, simply in taxes alone, that these oil "giants" owe just to municipalities worldwide -- let alone what they owe to anybody else?? And that they got away from ever paying (they think), simply because they are 800 lb. gorillas, in collusion with the local elites..?
ReplyDeleteI think Exxon-Mobil has opened a can of worms -- and it's Pyaback Time the world over.
Time to collect, people.
Bring `em on.