The Ministers of Economy and Finance, Arbeleche Lily; of Transportation and Public Works; José Luis Falero; and Labor and Social Security, Pablo Mieres, spoke about how to achieve sustainable development of the Uruguay, invited by the Confederation of Business Chambers of Uruguay, within the framework of the first day of operation of the Expo Prado 2023.
The activity was attended by the President of the Republic, Luis Lacalle Pou, the vice president, Beatriz Argimón, the secretary of the presidency Alvaro Delgado and the president of the Confederation of Business Chambers of Uruguay Diego O Neill, host of the event.
Arbeleche: “Our reforms have a common axis; freedom”
“Take care of today thinking about tomorrow”, was the motto that focused the exhibition of the Minister of Economy and Finance, putting freedom “at the center of all things,” he emphasized. As an example, he gave number portability and the repeal of financial inclusion, both aspects included in the Urgent Consideration Law. (LUC).
The minister defended central aspects of the government’s management which, she said, “was able to confront adverse situations with solidity and strength, the global health crisis resulting from the Covid 19, the military conflict between Russia and Ukraine and more recently the drought.
He acknowledged that in recent times prices have increased, but contextualized that in response the government implemented a series of measures that, he said, “improved the economic income of the population, in turn reducing the tax burden on basic products.”
On drought, which merited the declaration of agricultural emergency, Arbeleche quantified it as a loss of 200 million dollars for the country.
Greeting many leaders present in the room responsible for various areas of the government, the minister listed as “milestones of management” the increase in public investment, improvements in infrastructure and the increase in employment and real wages, as well as access to new markets for local products.
In line with what was recently expressed by his colleague, a member of the economic team, the president of the Central Bank Diego Labat, Arbeleche highlighted the importance of what he considered “the minor inflation of the last two decades.” He also noted the importance of having a new tax rule, something he defined as “simply taking care of Uruguayans’ money.”
Falero spoke about the challenge of generating more quality public works
In turn, the Minister of Transportation and Public Works José Luis Falero He presented a concept on which he focused his presentation: “The State has to bet on quality public works, at the service of national production and citizens.”
In this framework, he detailed aspects of the investment valued at 3.6 billion dollars for this period in the area of infrastructure, which he defined as historic and which was developed in diverse areas such as road and railway works as well as river and air connectivity. Along those lines, he mentioned Route 6 that will allow “decongestion and significantly reduce travel times,” according to what he said.
The investments in the Port of Montevideo, the future work in the Laguna Merin that will seek a better connection with the Brazilian state Rio Grande do Sul and the repair of 250 bridges on national roads and routes were also highlighted in Falero’s speech.
Mieres and the defense of social security reform
For his part, the Minister of Labor and Social Security, Pablo Mieres, was emphatic in stating that, if the popular consultation promoted by the PIT-CNT against social security reform, would lead “to the collapse of the pension system, gigantically increasing the already very high deficit of this system.” The leader went even further and stated that if the reform were annulled by popular vote “a substantial value that distinguishes Uruguay in the world, which is legal certainty.”
Regarding the labor market, Mieres reported that, between 2021 and July 2023, some 120,000 jobs were created. In addition, the activity rate increased to 62.9% in the first seven months of this year; that of employment It stood at 57.6%; and the unemployment In July it was 7.8%, according to the official figures it managed.
Mieres also indicated that in the coming days the Executive power will send to Parliament the reform of the Banking and Professional funds, which he considered to be in a “serious situation with an imminent financial viability crisis.”
Source: Ambito
