Washington, D.C. - Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW), the nation’s largest taxpayer advocacy group, applauded the state of New Mexico for agreeing to settle the Microsoft antitrust case this week.  In the wake of the recent Appeals Court decision vacating the company’s breakup, some state attorneys general remain determined to drag the legal process out for years.

“The Court of Appeals decision provided a natural opportunity to settle this case rationally,” CAGW President Thomas A. Schatz said.  “At this stage there is plenty of common ground for a constructive solution, as New Mexico’s decision illustrates.”

In return for New Mexico ending its prosecution, Microsoft agreed to cover the cost of the state’s attorneys fees.  Also, the state will share in whatever final remedies may come at the case’s conclusion.

"New Mexico Attorney General Patricia A. Madrid should be applauded for allowing Microsoft, New Mexico taxpayers, the government, and the NASDAQ to move on.  The other states still pursuing the case should follow New Mexico’s example,” Schatz also said. 

“The Microsoft case has put taxpayers around the nation on the hook for at least $35 million in costs at the federal and state levels,” Schatz added.  “Investors have watched their portfolios nosedive by trillions of dollars since the U.S. District Court decision to break up Microsoft last June.  Additionally, economists have estimated Microsoft’s breakup could cost consumers $60 billion in higher software costs.”

Investors indicated their approval of New Mexico’s decision yesterday by substantially boosting both Microsoft stock and the NASDAQ.

CAGW is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization, dedicated to eliminating waste, fraud, and abuse in government.