The deputies of National Liberation (PLN) pledged on Monday to advance with the projects that are part of the fiscal adjustment agreement negotiated by the country with the International Monetary Fund (IMF). This was agreed upon during the weekly bench meeting, in view of the extraordinary sessions of the Legislative Assembly that began this November 1 for the start of 2022 year.
“In particular, with the IMF agenda, the fraction reaffirms its commitment to advance with the agreement,” declared María José Corrales, head of the largest fraction in Congress, with 17 legislators.
The deputy explained that her party hopes to achieve the macroeconomic balances that the country requires to bring stability and confidence to markets, and “that allow us to generate parallel responses that the sectors need at this time.”
The Verdiblanca spokeswoman pointed out that, given the call for projects made by the President of the Republic, Carlos Alvarado, to begin the three months of extraordinary sessions, it was clear that the IMF’s agenda is a priority.
The convocation decree includes, in addition to the public employment plan, tax reforms such as global income, modification of the tax on luxury homes and elimination of tax exemptions such as school salary.
All these projects are part of the agreement reached by the country in January with the IMF to access a loan of $ 1,778 million under soft conditions, which reduces the cost of debt and opens the door to international markets.
On the other hand, the project to collect a tax on lottery prizes was not called, nor was the plan to eliminate places and freeze government pensions, which, since May, has been in legislative limbo.
In that sense, legislator María José Corrales stressed that, for National Liberation, progress with the draft Public Employment Framework Law and the plan on the tax on luxury homes will be a priority.
“In this project (luxury houses), in particular, it must be modified and, although the deadline for the procedure in the commission has already expired, we consider that we have to sit down and guarantee that the vision of the fraction is reflected in the next stage , in the motions of merits ”, said the head of Liberation.
Corrales pointed out that it has been commented in a fraction, in the campaign and with the Liberation candidate, José María Figueres, that these two initiatives will be given priority, “without detracting from the rest of the IMF’s agenda.”
The PLN spokeswoman pointed out that, although the extraordinary sessions last only three months, as long as consensus is generated and the deadlines are met, progress can be made with these two priorities.
Asked about the effects that the electoral campaign has on the IMF’s agenda, the verdiblanca affirmed that there is clarity on public employment and the tax on luxury homes, so it would be very negative for the campaign to affect this progress, given the need to generate confidence in the country, “optimize and give guarantees to the market.”
“The worst thing is that you want to play electorally with these issues,” she explained. She added that the public employment plan has a legislative process deadline and that it could be heard in plenary next week.
[Public employment plan would be voted on in the first debate in the third week of November]Regarding the projects on dual global income and the plan to eliminate income tax exemptions, which intends to collect this tax on school wages, Corrales argued that they are not being shelved or demerited, but that the PLN is focusing its energies on the two mentioned: public employment and luxury home tax.
