During this day the Chamber of Deputies approved by 106 votes in favor, 12 against and 26 abstentions the project that requests the President, Gabriel Boric, the permanent or transitory elimination of the specific fuel tax after sharp increases in the prices of benzine and oil due to the conflict that afflicts Ukraine with Russia.
The project aims to “help the middle class, productive sectors and vulnerable families in the country”, since the Fuel Price Stabilization Mechanism (MEPCO), according to the parliamentarians who presented the project, has not been enough to contain the increases.
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The deputy of National Renewal (RN), Sofia Cid, said that this project is aimed at 70% of Chileans, so it would not benefit the “privileged who have a car.”
“We know that with the situation of the war in Ukraine fuel values will continue to rise. This directly affects people’s pockets. There is a study that indicates that about 71% of families have a car and you can not talk about luxury as it was done before, since today the vehicles are to work with it, to go to work and many middle-class people today have one, “he said.
In addition, he added that “the suspension of the specific fuel tax is a direct aid to the pockets of the people and we also want to ask the President of the Republic to have a regional look. Not everything is the Metropolitan region. There are regions of Coquimbo to the north that are very extensive, where many territories are traveled and the consumption of people increases, with respect to fuel. ”
Under the same line, the deputy of RN, Miguel Mellado, said that the objective of the initiative is to cancel a tax that was created with another intention.
“The idea is that once and for all this specific tax that was established in 1985 to improve the roads, which today are concessioned, will be finished. It is a tax that should no longer exist, because it threatens the pockets of all Chileans or that at least during this year and considering high inflation, it can be frozen and thus be a help for consumers, “he explained.
It should be remembered that this tax was created for the reconstruction of roads after the earthquake of 1985, which affected the central area of the country.
