The increase or not of the taxes, the purchasing power and investment grade of Uruguay were some of the topics that generated crossovers between Yamandu Orsi and Alvaro Delgado in the Economy block of the presidential debate, heading to the 2024 runoff.
The most critical point was the tax issue. Both candidates pledged not to raise taxes, but they also exchanged accusations. Delgado assured that the Frente Amplio program contemplates increases and greater tax pressure and maintained that “when they start to go around, it is because they are going to give it to you,” while Orsi chicane: “Before leaving, they will return the 2% that they recharged from VAT for card purchases?”
Orsi highlighted that during the years of the Frente Amplista government “we made the tax reform, simplifying the national scheme” and warned: “I clarify that we are not going to increase taxes.”
Meanwhile, Delgado considered that “in the economy the most important thing is certainty and the FA is going to raise taxes because it says so in its program,” and then contrasted: “We are not going to raise taxes, we are going to generate stimuli for the investment and open Uruguay to the world with pragmatism and without ideology.”
Two different models
Orsi referred to the three FA governments and highlighted that “our commitment is stability, macroeconomic balance and certainties, when we were there it was seen that GDP growth was 3.7% annually on average.”
“Income distribution underwent fundamental changes and not only did we grow the economy, but society grew. And public debt fell fundamentally. In 2004 it was 97.7% of GDP and in 2019 it had fallen by 30%. While in these five years, it grew 5%,” he compared efforts.
Meanwhile, Delgado spoke of “notorious differences” on the issue and stated: “After 15 years, we receive a country with enormous inflation, on the verge of losing investment grade and with increased unemployment and deficit.”
“This government had five crises, starting with the pandemic that was global. We did not apply the mandatory quarantine as proposed by the FA and we were able to keep the economy functioning. In 2022 we grew 5% and in 2023 we grew less, but we reached 3 and a half again this year. We have the best qualification in the history of Uruguay, the highest real salary in years and a record of people working. Despite the five crises, this government managed to get Uruguay back on track,” the white candidate stuck out his chest.
Proposals and chicanes
In an eventual government, Orsi committed to “especially supporting MSMEs, benefiting them in the cost of energy and resolving bureaucratic obstacles,” while calling for “going towards increasingly firmer protection of the national industry and incorporating the sector private to Uruguay XXI.”
At the same time, he pointed out: “We are going towards a national irrigation plan and making it work. Bring science and production closer and strengthen Colonization with 25,000 hectares, fundamentally so that those producers who want to live in the countryside can do so.”
“Wouldn’t it have been a mistake to have taken away from Colonization those 30 million that were supposedly going to other destinations and we never saw them?” he questioned about the government’s measure.
Instead, Delgado spoke of “working on the cost of living” and noted that “Cheaper Uruguay to live and produce is our goal,” while he recalled that during the FA government “there were cost overruns on fuel to finance the Ancap fund.” or general income for business ventures such as the regasification plant. We changed the system and saved 420 million through the PPI.”
In turn, he showed a clipping from a newspaper from May 21 that titled “Orsi toughens his speech and assures that Uruguay is falling apart” and then another where he stated that “if the FA wins there will not be a substantial change in economic policy.” and stated: “You cannot say two such different things 15 days apart.”
Source: Ambito
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