“It would be a huge failure as a country and for all political branches,” Minister Mario Marcel said of the alleged stalling of the financial agreement announced by Gabriel Boric. Similarly, he expressed the belief that the fiscal year 2024 budget will be “austerity.” His remarks provoked mixed reactions from both the ruling and opposition parties.
Finance Minister Mario Marcel referred to the fiscal agreement presented by the government last August.
In an interview with financial diarythe Secretary of State assured that: Failure to move forward with the deal would be a “huge failure for us as a country and for all political branches.”
“It means that we have not been able to find a consensus that would allow us to mobilize resources for what is a priority and urgent for the people, and in this scenario the people are understandably dissatisfied. ” he added.
In this regard, Member of Parliament Gaston von Mühlenbrock (UDI) pointed out that if no progress is made on this issue, the main cause of failure lies with the government.
“He is insisting on striking a fiscal deal on the same terms as the rejected tax reform. The executive branch has shown little appetite for accepting opposition proposals.” Said.
Eric Ayedo (DC) said Minister Marcel needs to recognize that Chile’s economy is stagnant.
“Not having a fiscal deal is a failure, but the root of that failure may be that the economy is not growing. “It’s difficult to raise taxes on people when economic growth is low or non-existent.” he insisted.
Another point that Marcel touched on in the interview was: The budget for 2024 will be tighter than this year. And La Moneda said it intends to prioritize issues of national, social and economic security.
According to Deputy Minister Jaime Naranjo (PS), the situation reported by the Minister is worrying because more resources are needed to combat social injustice.
“The terms that the Minister of Finance is proposing strike me as serious and sensitive, given the urgent need for resources to combat social injustice in our country.” he expressed.
