The ministers of Interior, Nicolás Martinelli, and of Economy and Finance (MEF), Azucena Arbelechewill be summoned to Parliament to explain and substantiate the decision of the Executive Branch to apply a security service price of $2.10 plus VAT to river and maritime tourism in Uruguay; with the aim of financing modernizations in the immigration control system.
Although the idea officially began to take shape in mid-September, the decree that made the measure and the tender official is dated January 31, and the effective application of the new “price” will begin in March. However, confirmation of this additional cost on tickets to enter and exit the country by sea and river generated rejection in various sectors – such as the shipping companies that will act as withholding agents and the Cologne Tourist Association. At best, doubts arose.
For this reason, the deputy of the Frente Amplio Sebastián Valodmir resolved to summon ministers Martinelli and Arbeleche—whose portfolios appear as signatories of the decree, along with the president Luis Lacalle Pou and the Ministry of Transportation and Public Works (MTOP)—, according to what he told El País.
Likewise, for the opposition legislator, the tender that he awarded to the Mexican company Veridos SA The administration of the immigration control system revealed some irregularities that it hopes to resolve with the appearance of the leaders at the Chamber of Deputies. Among them, he pointed out that the process was observed twice by the Court of Accounts since the winning firm never presented the required guarantee of $200,000 within the corresponding deadlines.
The criticism received
After the publication of the decree, several critical voices were raised in this regard. Such was the case of the Cologne Tourist Associationwhich sent a letter to the president and the ministries involved—including that of Tourism, despite not having signed the provision—warning about the negative impact that this measure will have on tourism in the department.
“We identify this as a negative situation for with Cologne because it is where the cost of the ticket has the most impact: our destination is the destination with the shortest stay in hours for a tourist in Uruguay and we have a very large number of visitors on the day. The impact of $2.10 plus VAT within, let’s say, a budget of $5,000 is not the same in Punta del Este or on a cruise than on a ticket where this impact is an average of around 10% of the annualized ticket,” he explained to Ambit the president of the Tourist Association, Andrés Castellano.
Furthermore, they also have doubts: “What about the dry border, “Why is it only charged to maritime and river transport, what is going to happen to the bridges where there is no collecting entity like the shipping companies?” the businessman asked.
At the same time, the shipping companies that operate in Cologne, Bus and Cologne Express, will present an appeal against the price for security service with the objective of revoking the measure, as they understand that, on the one hand, it violates the principle of equality in the face of public charges —since only those traveling by boat would be charged for a border service that would be provided to all people entering and leaving the country, regardless of the route by which they do so—; and that, on the other hand, the companies that, in the collection scheme, must act as retention agents.
Tax specialists, for their part, point out the presence of a “hidden tax” and “illegal” that was not processed through legislation, as appropriate.
Source: Ambito
