Representatives of the productive, commercial, recreation and hotel sectors in Táchira, ask the regional and local authorities, and also the Ministry of Commerce of Nicolás Maduro, to review the high tax rates in the midst of a huge and drastic decline in the economy which collapsed sales significantly in the state and are also affected by smuggling and the entry of raw materials from Colombia, resulting in a massive reduction of formal jobs and the closure of companies.
Luz Dary Depablos // Correspondent lapatilla.com
Gabriel Ayala, President of the Association of Prepared Food Merchants (Asocap), stated that in his sector “we don’t know if the opening of the border is a blessing or the opposite. When this door (the binational steps) opened, this (another) one closed, which is the one that suits us all: Venezuelan production.”
“Only in the bakery sector, sales fell by more than 70% so far this year. Venezuela exported 100 tons of wheat products per month from Táchira State, which is the main producer, consumer and exporter of bread and bakery products. The consumption used to be 3,500 tons, and at this moment not even 80 tons are being consumed in Táchira State.”
It should be noted that in the case of the bakery sector, Venezuela has “sufficient grinding capacity to supply Táchira.” However, “flour trucks come and go from the neighboring country and from other countries like Turkey, which put an end to local production, since it is difficult for us to compete with the prices they offer, taking into account the high operating costs.”
He said that during the pandemic “some ghost merchants, people who were not prepared for the commercialization of products, who didn’t even belong in the area, suddenly ended up negotiating food trucks under the conditions that existed at that time. That generated an economy of ports, which does not benefit the sector.”
It should be remembered that these were the items that began to enter illegally and were later “legalized” through the well-known “protectorate code or trail code.” (Illegal entry/import through ‘trochas/trails’ or in collusion with the ‘protectorate’, supra governmental organization imposed by the central government.)
Likewise, Indover Sayago, Vice President of the San Antonio del Táchira Chamber of Commerce, pointed out that the reopening of binational commerce “deteriorated” the little economy that existed in the border municipalities after more than seven years paralyzed by the government blockade of binational crossings.
“Every day the businesses are forwarding letters of inactivity to the Seniat (Central Government Tax Office). As there is no commercial activity, they close the doors. By the way, public services once the bridges were opened, like the hydrological and electricity companies increased by a thousand percent, the bills for electricity usage, because they (government) consider that it is an international border city,” Sayago said.
He recalled that they have asked local governments for exemptions and exceptions in some activities or items to stimulate “a favorable environment for commercial growth in the area.” However, there has not yet been a general response, only in some very specific cases.
People are still waiting for the activation of the ‘Special Economic Zones’, which the regime has proposed to border merchants since the governorship of José Gregorio Vielma Mora (Governor of Táchira between 2013 and 2017) and to date these promises have not materialized. That is why they hope that on this occasion they will be honored, since this economic policy would favor the economy not only of the border, but of the entire region.