Colombia: Reactionary tax reform and the labor movement

The government of Iván Duque presented a tax reform project, the application of which would have a tremendous impact on the pockets of the masses. On the one hand, hundreds of thousands of workers and retirees would be affected by income tax. On the other, VAT is introduced or increased on basic products such as coffee, sugar and chocolate. According to the CUT, one of the trade union centrals, 90% of the resources that the government aspires to collect with its initiative (just over 27 billion Colombian pesos) will be paid for by the popular sectors, while only 10% remaining by the capitalist class. The measure is presented as the only way to finance social expenses due to the pandemic. In keeping with this, extortion has been mounted against the Colombian people. The Minister of Finance, Alberto Carrasquilla, warned that “we have cash that will last us approximately six or seven weeks” (As.com, 7/4), while former President Álvaro Uribe, who is part of the same political force as ...