The Chamber of International Land Transportation of Uruguay (Catidu) held an assembly meeting with its partners. There they analyzed the situation of the sector and demanded “urgent” measures by the Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF) to boost the sector.
In this framework, they issued a statement indicating that the workers have been “making negotiations” with the Ministries of Economy and Transport, but until now they have found “absolute indifference and lack of interest on the part of the authorities.”
One of the measures they demand is that the same measure of charging freight be applied to Argentine transport, to prevent “dollars collected in Uruguay from being sold on the Argentine black market and obtaining a significant return that allows unfair competition,” according to the guild
The MEF is working on this issue, ministry sources said. However, there was no agreement between Economy and Transport, so the workers were informed that they would seek to create a law to begin applying the measure. “Then we were told to wait for the LUC vote and once it was approved, they told us that they could not make the law because it went against the result of the vote,” the workers indicate in contrast.
VAT
Another request is to stop charging VAT on import freight, because they ensure that foreign companies do not pay this rate. Along the same lines, they assured that companies from other countries pay cheaper tolls when they reach Uruguayan lands, something that locals do not. “In Uruguay, during the hours when there are no staff at the toll booths, the cost for foreigners is zero,” they say.
They ended the statement by assuring that it would be “unusual” for a conflict situation to arise over issues that have “no cost to the State.” “Is the government interested in international transport under the Uruguayan flag existing and generating labor?” the union asked.
