This Sunday, 2 May, the president of the Generalitat, sent a message: "I call on the Congress of the Republic to withdraw from the project set up by the Ministry of Finance and to proceed urgently with a new draft consensus."

According to the BBC, the reform proposal raised an increase in income and commodity taxes. The protests against him have caused at least six deaths and hundreds of injuries, according to the same sources. Some social organizations report that the number of deaths is higher. The Government of Colombia believes that the country has had to spend a great deal to maintain the social programs that emerged during the pandemic.

Reform

The main objectives of the project were to increase the tax revenue base, to prevent Colombia’s debt from losing more points in international risk ratings, to institutionalize basic income and to create an environmental monitoring fund.

One of the most controversial issues was the collection of income tax on incomes of more than USD 663 per month, in a country where the minimum wage is USD 234.

Protests

The Colombian people have taken to the streets against the reform of the law. The protests began last Wednesday in a peaceful and uneventful manner, according to the same sources. But then there were attacks on government buildings and transport system in the cities of Bogotá, Medellín and Cali.La Prosecutor investigates ten deaths in Cali for their alleged involvement in the demonstrations. A number of local governments have ordered a curfew and have evicted the police and the army, which are still mobilized.