The government of Gustavo Petro announced that it will request an addition of $10 billion to the 2023 General Budget of the Nationwhich would be allocated to public investment ($8 billion) and operating expenses ($2 billion).
(Solidarity Income: the ‘dispute’ Duke – Petro for its continuity).
“The National Government hopes to modify the General Budget of the Nation 2023, in order to allocate more resources for the implementation of the peace agreements, programs to fight hunger, science and technology, among others”explained the Minister of Finance, José Antonio Ocampo, upon his departure from a Budget evaluation committee in Congress, this Tuesday.
Hours later, President Petro himself referred to the issue, noting that “The Duque government did not budget for the coming year an item of almost 10 billion pesos for transfers to people that were created due to the pandemic.” It should be noted that the resources for the support of Solidarity Income will end on December 31.
The Duque government did not budget for the coming year an item of almost 10 billion pesos for transfers to people that were created due to the pandemic. These end on December 31.
– Gustavo Petro (@petrogustavo) August 31, 2022
“We will seek Congress to approve a reform of that budget, focusing the budget capacity on expanding the educational infrastructure, setting up the preventive health system and financing the agrarian reform,” Peter added.
José Antonio Ocampo, Minister of Finance.
The response of former Duke officials
Regarding the subject, the former Minister of Finance, Jose Manuel Restrepo and the former director of the Administrative Department of the Presidency of the Republic, Victor Munoz, They stated that budget items were left and that it will be up to the Petro government to maintain programs.
(This would be the Solidarity Income in the government of Gustavo Petro).
“All social transfers were budgeted. For the temporary ones and with legal support until December, free items were left in the treasury. There, and in the best tax collection, there are resources for new social programs, without affecting companies or citizens”former Minister Restrepo responded to President Petro’s message.
He added that “Law 2155 of 2021 (Social Investment Law) makes it clear that some social programs were valid as of 2022 and are duly financed and that if the next government wanted to continue them, it should evaluate them and give them legal support”.
In any case, and despite not being necessary yet because they are temporary programs until 2022, we leave some free items in the 2023 treasury budget to finance that program once the incoming government gives legal support and evaluates it as required by law 2155 of 2021. pic.twitter.com/taUxKJfv2i
– José Manuel Restrepo Abondano (@jrestrp) August 31, 2022
Finally, former minister Restrepo said that “in any case and despite not being necessary yet because they are temporary programs until 2022, we left some free items in the 2023 treasury budget to finance that program once the incoming government gave legal support and evaluated it as required by law 2155 of 2021”.
(They raise the amount of Solidarity Income, but issue a warning).
For his part, Víctor Muñoz, former director of DAPRE, said that the 2023 Budget left by Duque does not have an explicit solidarity income because its legal basis is Law 2155 on social investment, which ends in December because it was used for the pandemic.
However, he stated that the resources that finance the program remained “You must give legal way, in the Budget Law”he concluded.
@petrogustavo Budget 2023 you left @IvanDuque it does not have an explicit solidarity income because its legal basis is Law 2155 on social investment and ends in December
In @MinHacienda there were resources left that finance the program, you must give legal way, in the budget law
— Victor Munoz (@Vicmunro) August 31, 2022
BRIEFCASE
