David Vélez, founder and CEO of Nubank, is the second richest man in Colombia, according to Forbes magazine, and one of the most important businessmen in the country. The owner of a fortune of around 11,000 million pesos spoke about the country’s economic outlook.
(Read: Tax reform would impact up to $5 billion to Ecopetrol).
In principle, Vélez recognized that there is a lot of polarization in the country, even though he does not belong to any ideology, according to what he said in an interview for Semana magazine. “I have a right hand and a left hand, I don’t have two right hands or two left hands. My vision is that these two sides are needed and to put an end to the extremism and polarization that is seen so clearly in so many places,” assured the businessman from Antioquia.
He also stated that he met with President Gustavo Petro who showed interest in increasing competitiveness in the country’s financial industries.
“It is possible that someone imagines that there would be disagreements between the president and me, and the truth is that until now we have grown up in leftist governments like in Brazil”, he acknowledged in his interview.
(Also: Tributaria has received more than 670 propositions for the first debate).
Gustavo Petro
Courtesy of the Presidency of the Republic
Regarding the tax reform, one of the most criticized issues for the current government, Vélez showed his support for those who earn more to pay more taxes. “It seems to me that people who earn more should pay more. I understand and agree with that,” she asserted.
He even referred to the incentives for businessmen regarding the most recent statements by the Minister of Finance, José Antonio Ocampo: “The minister has openly said that this will change. It is important that it be changed. We do not want entrepreneurs to leave Colombia; on the contrary, we want people to come to do business in the country“, he assured.
Gustavo Petro replied to David Vélez
However, Petro highlighted the tycoon’s support for the tax reform through his Twitter account. “The second richest man in Colombia agrees with our tax proposal. Whoever earns more should pay more. This is called tax and social justice and whoever believes in these concepts has a social conscience,” the president wrote.
(Keep reading: Change policies that do not work: results of the meeting of the Government).
However, Vélez gave him a warning, assuring him that everything has a limit and should not reach the point where entrepreneurs go elsewhere to invest.
“That’s right President. But there is a limit. Remember that the entrepreneur is the goose that lays the golden eggs. If we remove too many eggs, the chicken dies or we go to another place where they treat it better. I let the experts decide where that limit is“, answered the CEO of Nubank.
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