The Minister of Tourism, Tabaré Viera, said it is in favor of advancing the time during the summer season if there are arguments to do so, so the portfolio will perform a study and a survey of the opinion of tour operators in this regard. The hierarch also indicated that asked the Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF) to maintain the VAT rate at 0% in hotels for Uruguayans during the high season.
Interviewed by Who is who channel 5 and Diamante FM, Viera stated that “there is no serious study“On the impact of advancing the time in summer so the Ministry of Tourism (Mintur) will carry out”a survey and a study to see how much it impacts making that decision”.
The hierarch said he was in favor of advancing the time but “with proven arguments” given that “is what the government has to do”. “Just work technically and scientifically to make the right decisions”He added.
The positions on whether or not to change the schedule during the summer months have two libraries. On the one hand, there are the tour operators with their historical position of refusing to advance the clocks one hour due to the negative economic impact that this generates for their branch of activity.
On the other side, More than 70% of the population agrees to advance the time, according to a survey commissioned by the National Energy Directorate at the time.
The measure of advancing the hour was in force between 2006 and 2014 and It was discontinued by President Tabaré Vázquez in 2015.
“We are not going to change it for various reasons. I know that this is going to leave some happy and others unhappy. If we had taken the measure the other way around, the same thing happened. But we have thoroughly studied the issue, we have evaluated it and we have made the decision with the confidence that, I believe, is the correct measure at this time“, Vázquez had expressed.
“When the time change was installed it was for an energy saving issue. At that time, Uruguay produced electricity with oil or hydraulic dams, oil was very expensive, and it meant saving between US $ 8 and US $ 10 million in a season. In the last one, prior to the previous year, the savings were negligible“, argued the ex-president on the decision to keep the hour unchanged.
After that decision, UTE technicians had commented to The Observer that the determination not to advance the time “surprised” because the balance of the 11 years that the previous regime was operational, the results were “positive” to reduce consumption peaks during the summer and the amount of energy consumed per day.
Regarding the VAT rate of 0% on accommodation for domestic tourism during the high season, Viera said that The proposal was made to the MEF as a “benefit” for Uruguayan tourists that will not imply a large tax waiver for the portfolio.
“I think the benefit to the Uruguayan tourist is important, the one who during all this confinement maintained at least basically the activity of tourism, the one who often says that we give the benefits to foreigners and not to Uruguayans. I think that giving them recognition and a benefit, especially taking into account the competition in which we find ourselves with the offer of the region, would be something very valuable, important and fair. The MEF is studying it; I am optimistic and I also believe in the sensitivity of our ministry“, argument.
