“The reform that was made in the National Assembly is to charge more to those who have more, to the millionaires. They have enough, they have talk. And that money that we are going to charge them is going to have a very good effect for this year’s social investment and for the strengthening of the use of the bolivar,” Nicolás Maduro assured in a broadcast on VTV.
This is how Maduro responded to the strong criticism that has been generated following the approval of the reform to the tax law on large transactions last week, with the aim, they say, of maintaining exchange rate stability and slowing down inflation.
He insisted that «There is a loose campaign out there that says that we increase taxes for the whole town, it is not true. The National Assembly approved a tax so that those who have more pay more, so that the millionaires pay, not so that the people pay. That will allow us to increase wages, this year we have good news for the wages of the Venezuelan working class.
He reported that the money collected by the State following companies pay taxes are directed to health, public and social works; wages, housing and the strengthening of the bolivar in the country.
He also indicated that another of “the objectives of the law is to defend and recover the currency, reposition it, in a process of multi-currency use and the gradual recovery of wages.”
dollar bills
Maduro mentioned that public and private banking allows you to open accounts in dollars. He explained to the people that if a person makes a purchase with a value of $27.30 and they do not give him change, he can pay in bolivars.
«If they tell you, I don’t have change, that’s where you say: ‘I don’t care, I’m going to pay you in bolivars exactly the figure in conversion in bolivars; you don’t need change and everyone wins. You win and the merchant wins, “he said.
He called for companies to be reviewed, both in terms of corruption, raw materials and investment to strengthen the country’s productive sector.
“We have been looking for ways in the war economy to flexibly adapt to the objective. A diversified, productive economy, the key is to defend the currency, the right of the working class to recover their decent salary,” he said.
