On August 8, just one day after the new government took office, the Minister of Finance, José Antonio Ocampo, filed the tax reform project, with which $25.9 billion is sought for next year. This project will be debated in principle by the economic commissions.
(Read: Tax: proposal on dividends and other taxes would be reviewed).
Portfolio spoke with Gustavo Bolivar and Katherine Miranda, the presidents of the third commission in the Senate and Chamber, in charge of finance and public credit, taxes and contributions and tax exemptions, and therefore of the reform. The congressmen responded to the questions:
How do you perceive the government’s agenda related to the Commission?
What other key projects will there be in this legislature and in the next?
What will be your role as President of the Commission?
‘The reform could be in November’, Gustavo Bolívar
1. For now, in economic commissions are the budget projects and the tax. ANDThe budget is severely underfunded, the social transfers that cannot be stopped are unfinanced. There are reforms that we want to make, then surely it will have either a redistribution, or along the way we can try to make a law to refinance it.
With the tributary one has tried to build a story that the reform is equal to that of Carrasquilla, but it has nothing to do with it. This simplifiedto a little and taxes equally dividends, pensions and income of more than $10 million and only 2% of Colombians earn these salaries; in equity it is taxed from $3,000 million liquid. A big change is already noticeable there, and we are taxing mining, which was going from ducking.
The only thing that can be compared are the taxes on ultra-processed foods, but since the issue is making so much noise, I think that the sausages may drop, with drinks there is a lot of insistence from the Ministry of Health.
(Read: Mery Gutiérrez will no longer be the ICT minister of the Petro government).
2. With the urgent message it is possible that we will have the reform for November, President Petro does not want it to reach December, and if we manage to leave it, another reform would enter this semester, la of the general system of royalties, which must also go through the economic commissions. Already in February we begin to discuss the National Development Plan (PND), which is going to take us perhaps the whole semester because it is quite robust.
3. There can always be someone dissatisfied, but we are focused on talking and listening to all the unions, small and large, industrialists and farmers. Success is not approving a reform, in the end it is always approved, but it could be measured by whether the sectors are satisfied, that is what I am working for, yielding where I think it is rationally possible, but in the end everyone is satisfied with a reform without which we will not be able to meet next year or fulfill the promises, especially of social equality.
‘There is an atmosphere to discuss and approve’, Katherine Miranda
1. We are presented with an agenda with pertinent projects to be debated in the Third Committee of the Chamber. To fulfill President Petro’s promises, the first challenge will be approve the tax reform in a reasonable time that allows us to discuss in depth the General Budget of the Nation. The commission will have to study how to harmonize these two projects to reorganize social spending during 2023. We will have a very busy agenda.
2. During my Presidency, three important projects will be presented during this legislature, all of them key to defining the future of the country in the next 4 years. First, the discussion and approval of the tax reform, for which we have already met with the Minister of Finance and the Commission. We present the different opinions on the reform, receiving from the Government all the disposition to review the concerns.
On July 29, the budget project was filed, which, although it will be under the leadership of the Chamber’s fourth commission, will be analyzed together with the economic commissions. Finally we will have the filing of the National Development Plan with a deadline of February 7. Said Plan will be led by my commission, we will advance regional public hearings and we will collect all the needs of the territories to nurture and strengthen it.
There is a good atmosphere in the Third Committee to discuss and approve each of these projects. My commitment will always be to grant all the guarantees to the political parties and maintain an open and democratic debate.
(Also: National Government will seek to process the labor reform in 2023).
3. I will promote all government projects that meet citizen expectations and commitments. Our campaign promise was to reach Congress to honor the requests and needs of Colombians, working hard for them and their well-being. I will lead an open, transparent and democratic commissionin which it is possible to build from the difference, without imposing positions or decisions on any party.
Laura Lucia Becerra Elejalde
