TeleSUR correspondent, Hernan Tobar, brings the report on the new taxes issued by the Colombian government to address the humanitarian crisis in the Catatumbo region at the northeast of the country. teleSUR
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00:00The Colombian government issues new taxes to address the humanitarian crisis in the
00:04Catatumbo region in northeast of the country.
00:07Our colleague Hernan Tobar with the report.
00:11The Colombian government decreed a state of internal commotion following the humanitarian
00:19crisis in the Catatumbo region.
00:21In the last hours of this February 14th, it issued a decree enabling the creation of taxes
00:27on online games, oil companies and notary publics to address emergency measures to deal
00:32with this situation.
00:38When there are supervening events of manifest emergency calamities or events like these,
00:42the state must intervene and finance them from the general budget of the nation, which
00:52in this opportunity is greatly compromised in a budgetary inflexibility because the amounts
00:56of the future that the governments have left us for 185, 3 million, 60 percent of which
01:01are attributable to Duque, means that there is no budgetary space to make changes within
01:05the budget.
01:10So it is very important that there is a source of funding in the decrees of commotion in
01:13order to alleviate the very serious situation in Catatumbo.
01:23For analysts, these options to economically address the situation in Catatumbo are generated
01:27by the majority of the opposition benches, which were against the approval of the financing
01:31law proposed by the government, an action considered as a boycott to the social policies
01:36promoted by President Gustavo Petro.
01:42Both the tax on chance, hydrocarbons and notaries are highly technical taxes in that they are
01:47levied on montier sectors of the economy and not on productive sectors.
01:52Moreover, they have a clear component of progressivity in that they will be paid proportionally
01:56by those who have more resources, something that is a constitutional mandate that is generally
02:01not fulfilled in Colombia.
02:03This is expected to raise one billion pesos this year, which should be sufficient for
02:07the problems in Catatumbo.
02:14The decree of internal commotion was signed by the Colombian government in response to
02:18the humanitarian and security crisis in the Catatumbo region.
02:21Department of Norte de Santander, where clashes and attacks between National Liberation Army,
02:26guerrilla blocs and former revolutionary armed forces of Colombia dissidents have left more
02:30than 50,000 people displaced and 20,000 confined.
02:34In this context, these taxes will be implemented to guarantee public order and economic stability
02:39in the region and to promote social and humanitarian assistance programs.
02:45Of course it is an injection of new resources to this zone because they are very important
02:52as long as they obey the action plan that must be agreed upon with the communities.
02:57If this is done outside the traditional organizations of the territory, outside the wishes of the
03:03people, then surely these resources will not have the impact we want in the construction
03:06of peace.
03:14According to the Minister of Finance and Public Credit of Colombia, Diego Guevara, these taxes
03:18will be extended until December and stated that a new tax reform containing the three
03:23taxes on a permanent basis will be presented.