LatinNews Daily - 27 September 2022

* Colombia’s new President Gustavo Petro has faced his first major protests since taking office in August, as thousands demonstrated around the country against his tax reform plans and the general direction of his government. An estimated 5,000 people marched in the capital, Bogotá, and protests were also held in cities including Medellín (Antioquia department), Cali (Valle del Cauca), Armenia (Quindío), and Villavicencio (Meta). The government’s tax reform bill, which was submitted to congress on 8 August, proposes wealth taxes, higher taxes on ‘occasional earnings’, and windfall taxes on certain exports, among other things. Lower earners would be largely unimpacted by the changes, which the government has said will reduce inequality and rake in an extra Col$25trn (US$5.5bn) for the treasury next year. Many protesters also carried signs attacking the government’s planned labour reform, which will be presented to congress next year, and its plans for negotiated peace settlements with guerrilla and drug trafficking groups.

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