While the country is waiting to know what the accounts of the General Budget of the Nation for 2025 will finally look like, the government of President Gustavo Petro made two important announcements on fiscal matters, They focused on the money they need for the term that is about to begin and how they hope to get it.
Through a video published to the public, Alexander López, national director of Planning, first indicated that the $12 billion that is not in the PGN accounts for next year will be postponed and not cut, as recommended by part of the experts after the financing law fell.
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“Due to the irresponsible decision made by the majorities in Congress, In the economic commissions, we had to make a postponement for 12 billion. These congressmen denied a financing law as has already happened with previous governments. “This bad decision that these congressmen made will seriously affect important resources for the country’s social investment, for the middle classes and the most impoverished sectors,” said Lopez Maya.
In that sense, he explained that this December 31 the postponement decree will be issued, against which “we have done a detailed analysis of more than a week led by the President of the Republic and the economic team and we have protected the most depressed sectors of the country to the maximum.”
National Planning – Alexander López.
Courtesy – API
Faced with this first announcement, it is worth saying that the postponement of the General Budget of the Nation could be a risky measure, since this decision leaves $511 billion available, but not in appropriations, which could require an additional budget later, that is That is, the principle of sustainability is violated.
The greatest risk for the budget accounts is in the Constitutional Courtl, which can invalidate it because it was approved by decree without financing. We must not forget that the Organic Budget Statute says that income can never be less than expenses in the National Budget.
A new tax
The second part of the announcement made by the Director of the National Planning Department had to do with the way in which they will look for the money they need and after recognizing that at this moment they have a cash deficit, he warned that they will go for a new project of tax reform in Congress.
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“The resources are insufficient and we are going to insist that Congress must approve either a financing law or a new tax reform where those who have more, where those who have been protected by Congress itself, pay the taxes they They have to pay so that the most vulnerable sectors “they can receive support from the State and can receive the resources that are required,” he stated.
In this way it is confirmed that although their favorability in Congress is not the best and that it is already predicted that the processing of the project they present will not be easy, they will risk changing the tax scheme for the second time in less than four years. of the country.
Sinking of tax reform
César Melgarejo / Portfolio
“We are advancing in our project to guarantee the rights of the population and that is why we have also protected resources for education, resources for health, resources for agrarian reform and resources for food security, protection of children, young people and the elderly in our country,” said Alexander. Lopez.
This official closed by saying that “we are a serious government, a government that thinks about the people, but those decisions made with hate, with the sole purpose of destroying President Petro, of destroying the government, the only thing they are doing is creating poverty, fill our people with misery and lack of opportunities.”
Sources in Congress told Portafolio that there are already several lawsuits ready against the Budget decree, which will be filed once the norm comes into force, if the National Government insists in moving forward with accounts that have been underfunded since they were drawn up.
