In the past several days, Colombia has become a viral issue following series of protests against President Ivan Duque’s tax reform. On April 15th, Duque introduced the tax reform to Congress, a reform that aimed to generate taxes, stabilize the country’s economy, and raising approximately 1.4% of GDP. The plan has since been criticized for unequally benefitting the wealthy and creating more difficulties for the working and middle classes, giving way to protests that have killed at least 20 people.

Colombians from various different cities have risen in protest since April 28th following the previously mentioned tax reform. With the demonstrations raging on, the government decreed a nationwide curfew and sent the military to disperse protestors, actions that have only prompted work stoppage and further outrage from the population.

Duque’s tax reform, named Sustainable Social Transformation Reform, proposed raising taxes to raise revenue for the government by approximately $6.3 billion. According to Milenio reports, by 2022, anyone who earns more than 2.4 million Colombian pesos a month (a little under 600 dollars), would declare income tax. A year later, in 2023, the implementation would extend further and begin affecting those who receive a salary of more than 470 dollars.

Seeing as the monthly minimum wage is around 5,000 pesos (roughly 248 USD), the measure was met with social discontent.

Aside from impacting individual taxes and the private finances of the working class, the reform increases the surcharges on gasoline and diesel. This consequence impacts the entire chain of production in Colombia. If that wasn’t enough, the reform introduces a national tax on single-use plastics.

May 1 marked International Workers’ Day, and in areas like Bogotá, Medellín, Barranquilla, and many more, people took to the streets to continue the protests and even expand them to a much larger scale. Duque has since withdrawn the bill from Congress, yet the demonstrations have continued to highlight widespread inequality and unemployment.

Duque has asked Congress to introduce a new tax reform bill that will aid in the reactivation of the country’s economy after hard hits from the pandemic. The President insisted that a new fiscal project was necessary to maintain government social assistance programs, however, he also states the proposal needed to include the opinions of business leaders, civil society, and political party representatives.

The country’s management of the COVID-19 vaccine program has also been protested, with people angry at the fact that numerous goals set by the government were far from being reached. Colombia’s Finance Minister, Alberto Carrasquilla, resigned last Monday, saying that his “continuity in government would make it difficult to quickly and efficiently build the necessary consensus.” Following this move, the Colombian peso fell drastically.

Recent figures show that at least 19 people have died and hundreds more have been injured during these protests. Some NGOs have accused police officers of firing at civilians in Cali, the city where the most violent of these protests have taken place. The Defense Minister has been said to blame the violence on the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), and other leftist groups.

---

Sources: