Pandemic Taxation: Colombians Fight Back

Tens of thousands of Colombians have taken to the streets in demonstrations that began last Wednesday (28th April) against a proposed tax reform. The protests have since morphed into broader opposition against the government of President Iván Duque.

On Tuesday the 4th of May, protesters blocked roads in several parts of the country, coinciding with fresh demonstrations in the capital Bogotá and also in Cali (situated in the west of Colombia). Cali, Colombia's third-biggest city and arguably the worst-affected by the ongoing unrest, has had soldiers patrolling its streets since last Friday on government orders. In Cali alone, 700 soldiers, 500 riot police officers, 1,800 other police, and two helicopters have been put into operation - although the Ministry of Defence has already deployed 47,500 uniformed personnel countrywide.

credit: BBC

On Tuesday the 4th of May, protesters blocked roads in several parts of the country, coinciding with fresh demonstrations in the capital Bogota and also in Cali (situated in the west of Colombia). Cali, Colombia's third-biggest city and arguably the worst-affected by the ongoing unrest, has had soldiers patrolling its streets since last Friday, on government orders. In Cali alone, 700 soldiers, 500 riot police officers, 1,800 other police, and two helicopters have been put into operation - although the Ministry of Defence has already deployed 47,500 uniformed personnel countrywide.

The anti-government protests come at a time of economic despair for many, fuelled by the ongoing global health crisis; according to official figures, almost half the population of Colombia lives below the poverty line. In its worst economic performance in half a century, Colombia's GDP shrank by 6.8% in 2020, and unemployment figures stood at 16.8% in March 2021. Due to the pandemic, many residents were already struggling with poverty, unemployment, and food insecurity. According to National Public Radio, the COVID-19 vaccine rollout has been slow in Colombia, and the country is still experiencing rampant virus-related deaths, reaching a death toll high last week. Despite this, President Duque is reportedly trying to raise taxes.

The President is pushing for a $6 billion tax increase to balance the budget and to partially pay for emergency food handouts, and other social programs put in place since the start of the pandemic. To do so, his government wants to expand the base of contributors, eliminate exemptions, and extend the value-added tax to utilities and on some basic foods.

All these factors have prompted massive protests to erupt in Bogotá, Medellín, and Cali, led by shopkeepers, union leaders, teachers, university students, and retirees - a clear indication of public dissatisfaction with current and future policies occurring under Duque’s government.

“They have pushed us to hunger,” Natalia Arévalo, a protester from Bogotá, told The New York Times. “Now they want to take the little we have left.”

“People have fallen into poverty. There's massive unemployment,” said Rosalva Peña, 61, who was forced to close her dressmaking shop during the pandemic. She said: "This isn't the time to raise taxes."

The United Nations, United States, European Union, and human rights bodies have criticised the situation, after official data showed that nineteen people were killed and 846 injured in ongoing clashes with the security forces. In recent days, the UN has called for calm ahead of fresh rallies, claiming that security forces should use firearms only as “a last resort when facing an imminent threat of death or serious injury.” The European Union also condemned the reported deaths. 18 civilians and a police officer have reportedly died so far, yet Duque's government has officially acknowledged only one civilian and one police death, and has blamed the violence on armed groups operating in the country. Other reports claim that three uniformed officers have been shot since the demonstrations began.

credit: NBC

“Nothing justifies armed people who, protected by the legitimate desires of citizens to march, go out to shoot defenceless citizens and cruelly attack our police,” proclaimed Duque, who on Sunday yielded to the masses and withdrew the proposed reform that sparked the initial protests.

A Bogotá judge has declared the marches illegal because of the health risks due to the pandemic, whilst the city's mayor, Claudia López, has pleaded with organizers to postpone the demonstrations, saying: “This is a life-and-death situation.”

Faced with a new round of curfews and other pandemic restrictions, the prospect of tax hikes on food, utilities, and other essentials, many Colombians have ignored these warnings. Though the marches have been mostly peaceful, anti-riot police have since used tear gas to disperse the protesters and crowds, a minority of whom burned buses, vandalized buildings, and looted.

One video that circulated online showed Marcelo Agredo (17) who went out to protest with his brother earlier this week. In the clip, Agredo is seen kicking a police officer on a motorbike. The officer responding by shooting the boy as he ran away. Marcelo’s father confirmed that he died soon after. “You don’t take a person’s life for a kick,” his father told The New York Times. “We want justice.”

Another young protester, an artist named Nicolás Guerrero, joined demonstrations in Cali, when shots suddely rang out amongst the crowd. Guerrero was killed.

In response to the growing unrest, President Iván Duque announced on Sunday the 2nd of May that he would withdraw the tax proposal, and seek out an alternative plan instead. However, the demonstrations against the government and inequality in the country have continued. On Monday the 3rd of May, the Colombian finance minister Alberto Carrasquilla also resigned.