Let’s start with the law that creates the National Directorate of Tax Revenue, through the merger of the Undersecretariat of State for Taxation and the Customs Directorate. Although the legislation was promulgated on August 4, In the last days of Mario Abdo Benítez in the Presidency, the project was presented by the Honor Colorado team, representing Peña.
Oscar Orué, former head of the SET and current director of Tax Revenue, promised that this new system will improve tax pressure from 10 to 12 percent and increase revenue to some 400 million dollars annually.
The law was strongly opposed in some accounting sectors by figures such as Nora Ruoti, however, it was also well received by other parts of the library. The then director of Customs, Julio Fernández, stressed the importance of Customs maintaining its autonomy.
“We have 5,000 daily operations and 100 rotations of officials per month, and when you don’t have the pen and autonomy in foreign trade, that (the union) can be complicated. Apart from that, I think it can be a model that can work,” he commented.
The second law approved by the ruling party is the one that creates the Ministry of Economy and Finance, The first one was promulgated by Santiago Peña as president on August 23, days after taking office.
The new institution replaces, unifies and expands the functions established in the laws assigned to the Ministry of Finance, the Secretariat of Public Service and the Technical Secretariat of Planning.
Article 7 abolishes the current Ministry of Finance and the Technical Secretariat for Planning and hands over their functions to the Ministry of Economy. The same applies to the Secretariat for Civil Service.
Another law approved is the one known as the Superintendency of Retirement, which regulates the supervisory role of the State over Retirement and Pension Entities, in compliance with Article 95 of the National Constitution.
The law was approved in the Chamber of Deputies on Tuesday, December 12, in the Senate on Wednesday, December 13 and promulgated by Peña on Thursday 14. In legislative instances, the speed of the treatment and the use of majorities to suppress the debate were questioned. On the other hand, the ruling party alleged that, in previous sessions, the opposition withdrew to avoid the treatment. They also argue that it was sufficiently discussed in the previous instances and with representatives of all sectors.
“I want to assure each and every worker and retiree that their resources will be protected. The State will not interfere, the State will control those who manage these resources,” said Peña at the time of the signing.
PRISON HITS
At the beginning of this administration, the statements of the Minister of Justice, Ángel Barchini, about the need to regain control of the prisons aroused disbelief on the one hand, but tension on the other, mainly from the major criminals incarcerated in the penitentiaries. There were even requests to remove him from office, something that was not fulfilled. The measures of force finally ceased at the end of October.
On November 17th, with great stealth and great prudence, a raid Surprise in the Buen Pastor prison allowed them to reach the cells of Carmen Villalba and Francisca Andina, who were left very upset.
The operation was carried out after a long investigative work, initiated after the death of Osvaldo Villalba, to identify the communication channel between the armed group EPP and Carmen Villalba.
Cell phones, G. 4,500,000, various notes, a notebook, data storage devices and other items were seized, with which the Police confirmed that Villalba continued to lead the EPP from his cell.
But the biggest blow is undoubtedly the one dealt by the Operation Veneratio on December 18th, when, through the use of police and military forces, and with the Bukele technique, they managed to enter every corner of Tacumbú, amidst attacks and gunfire by criminals.
As a war trophy, the interveners They took Armando Javier Rotela himself out in his underwearconsidered untouchable and who could not be reached due to the number of physical and human obstacles, including his riflemen who had no way of preventing the police from passing.
Some 700 inmates were transferred to other penitentiaries and, as a result of the clashes, one officer from the Lince Group died and 11 inmates were killed. Several police officers were also injured.
In the following days, the raids continued and all kinds of luxuries and means of livelihood were found inside the prison: drugs, cash, safes where they stored their valuables, pharmacies, etc.
THE ECONOMIC FACTOR
Taking care of people’s pockets was one of Santiago Peña’s pillars in his campaign. In that sense,On December 22, the fourth price reduction was carried out of fuel, which amounts to a total decrease of G. 1,250. The price of a 10-kilo cylinder now costs G. 5,300.
The Ñande Gas program was also reactivated, which consists of Petropar vehicles traveling through the neighborhoods of Asunción, Central and some departments, to offer the gas refill service.
When it comes to people’s pockets, it is not only the price of different products, but also the management of public resources, obtained precisely with the contribution of citizens.
Some cases of relatives and even entire families being distributed in public service positions began to become known, some of them with such pressure that they resigned. Beyond the relationship or not, what can be outrageous is that the astronomical salaries are in exchange for functions that are not specified or that even their own assignees do not bother to clarify, which makes one think that they do not perform any task.
The entrance The Peña era: laws passed, prison strikes and the economic factor was first published in HOY Newspaper.
