Νομοθεσία

Θα επιβληθεί ΦΠΑ στα διαδικτυακά τυχερά παιχνίδια στην Κολομβία καθώς η κυβέρνηση κηρύσσει κατάσταση έκτακτης ανάγκης

Κολομβία Υπουργός Οικονομικών, Ντιέγκο Γκεβάρα, ανακοίνωσε ότι, με βάση το διάταγμα κατάστασης έκτακτης ανάγκης λόγω της ασφάλειας κρίση στο Κατατούμπο, VAT will be implemented on online gambling.

“With this tax, we expected to collect around 2 trillion pesos annually, but since the state of emergency is valid for 90 days, we estimate that it will be about 500 billion pesos,” the minister told El Tiempo.

In the plenary session of the House of Representatives the government of President Gustavo Petro officially announced the new taxes that Colombians will have to pay during the initial 90 days of the crisis. The government aims to raise COP 1.063 trillion pesos from three main sources. According to official accounts, COP 514 billion will come from VAT on online gambling.

“The funds will be used exclusively for addressing the state of emergency,” said Deputy Minister of Finance Juanita Villaveces in Congress.

Opposition members have raised concerns about the potential misuse of the state of emergency, which grants the President the authority to create or modify taxes during its duration. They fear this may lead to the reintroduction of proposals that the economic commissions of the House and Senate had previously rejected in December.

In October the Government reiterated that, as part of a tax reform aimed at financing the 2025 Budget, it was looking to apply a 19% Value Added Tax (VAT) to the online gambling sector. However, in December the article was removed from the proposals intended to finance the 2025 Budget.

Over 32,000 individuals have escaped from the northern Colombian region of Catatumbo, where two rival rebel groups are locked in a violent conflict. In recent days, at least 80 people have lost their lives amidst the intensifying clashes between the National Liberation Army (ELN) and dissident factions of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC).