2024-09-13 09:28:26
The senator said that if an agreement on the amount of the budget is not reached, Petro would be empowered to approve it by decree.
Huila Daily – Politics (Economy)
Amid tensions surrounding the approval of the nation’s general budget, Senator Angélica Lozano, president of the Fourth Commission of the Senate, has called for consensus in Congress, warning of the serious implications of not reaching an agreement on the amount of the budget for 2024. The National Government has proposed a budget of 523 billion pesos, a figure that has been rejected by the economic commissions of the Senate and the House of Representatives, generating a stagnation in decision-making.
According to Lozano, the lack of consensus among the four economic commissions has been one of the main obstacles. “The law does not provide for what to do in this regard. There are two key dates in the budget: September 15 to adopt an amount. The House approves the president’s amount, but the Senate denies it,” explained Lozano, referring to the complex situation in which the process finds itself.
The senator also pointed out that, if an agreement is not reached before September 25, the budget would be approved in the first debate in a detailed manner. However, she warned that if there is no consensus in Congress by October 20, President Gustavo Petro would be empowered to approve the budget by decree, which would generate a “fiscal dictatorship,” according to the legislator. “If it is not approved, the president is empowered to do so by decree, but without the 12 billion that he admits he is missing,” added Lozano.
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Differences in amount
The discussion about the exact amount of the budget has been another point of controversy. While the Government maintains that 12 billion pesos are missing, Lozano said that the deficit could be much higher, estimating that “56 billion pesos are missing.” This has led to questions about the accuracy of the data presented by the Ministry of Finance, in addition to the observations made by the Comptroller General, which has also questioned some of the calculations.
“I think that a corrector or an eraser was used to show false data,” said Lozano, referring to the need to review the figures presented by the Government. Given this uncertainty, the senator has proposed a reduction of the budget to 499 billion pesos, arguing that the low execution of resources in previous years makes an adjustment necessary.
Lozano emphasized that key sectors such as housing, which have had an execution of 8% until July 31, require greater attention. “To project what will be invested and spent next year, we must look at what happened this year… if there is no execution, there will be no reactivation,” he said.
Finally, the senator concluded with a call for consensus: “Today we will meet and we have to try to find a common ground, and if there is no common ground, we will move on to the second date, which is September 25.”
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