In Defense of Garduños

Conservatives are often portrayed as “heartless” by the left and those in government. After all, it is our view that individuals who earn money, should by and large be able to keep it and that expansive government programs (even those supposedly dedicated to benefiting the poor) are ineffective and even immoral. The ongoing saga of Garduños and their difficulties in paying their taxes, however, illustrates another phenomenon — that of government bureaucrats acting in a heartless manner in a quest for money.

Now, I’m not familiar with all of the ins-and-outs of the Garduños case, but from the articles I’ve read, the restaurant experienced a significant case of theft by one of its employees and, given the harsh economic climate, paying taxes has been difficult if not impossible. So, New Mexico’s Tax and Revenue Department is threatening to close the restaurant down.

Garduños is now hanging by a thread. But the question must be asked, “As long as they are legitimately making efforts to pay their taxes, who benefits from shutting Garduños down?” In this tough economy, 450 workers will lose their jobs and the store locations will sit empty, with little prospect of generating tax revenue for the state in the near term. That seems like a “lose-lose” to me.

So, without full information, all I can say is that Rick Homans and Tax and Revenue should make every effort to work with Garduños to get this issue resolved. The state is having trouble paying its bills, one can only hope they’d have some sympathy for a business that finds itself in a tough position.