The deputy of Social Convergence (I Approve Dignity) Gael Yeomans criticized Chile’s lack of willingness to move forward in the discussion on tax reform, whose objective is to collect the resources that allow, fundamentally, to increase the Universal Guaranteed Pension to 250 thousand pesos, one of the star projects of the current administration.
The truth is that the Government’s tax reform is advancing in fits and starts, and this despite the intense pre-legislative work that has extended to multiple work meetings held by the Finance Minister himself, Mario Marcel, with representatives of the large business community and SMEs. Each group has its concerns, which the minister has tried to clear up through 27 indications, which, however, have not been able to give it that definitive boost that the government proposal requires to increase tax collection by 4 points of GDP.
And this because, although the Finance Committee of the House approved the reform project in general, Chile Vamos voted against it in full, a situation that Minister Marcel bitterly regretted. “Voting against a project in general means the lack of will to legislate on the matter. In this case, it implies not only legislating on tax measures, but also so that the resources do not exist to allocate it for the purposes that the project pursues, “said the head of the Treasury, who clarified that he will spare no effort in pursuit of reaching a agreement.
However, the deputy member of the commission Gael Yeomans (Social Convergence) has not seen in her counterparts from Chile Vamos expressions that allow us to harbor hopes regarding this reform. “These indications were announced prior to the vote in general as a gesture from the Government to Chile Vamos so that they would vote in favor. They still voted against. I don’t think there is a willingness to agree on a new tax pact,” she noted.
“If this position does not change on their part, we also have to evaluate the indications. Likewise, we are presenting others that allow the collection to be increased in a logic of progressivity and thus not put at risk the very content of the reform”, added Yeomans.
A roughly, Minister Marcel has agreed to talk about three sensitive matters: the improvement of the DFL2 lease rule, the special schemes for SMEs and the anti-avoidance rules. Of the 27 indications, four of the amendments are linked to investment incentives, three refer to the wealth tax, eight on the anti-avoidance and evasion agenda and the same number of indications on the new income tax system, while highlighting another four related to the regime for SMEs.
“If Chile Vamos says that it is willing to reach an agreement, then it must understand that a pact is built between several actors. Nor do we have to be asked to give in only to us, but they also have to give in, and I have not seen that provision, ”he concluded.
