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Javier Suárez, presidente de Davivienda, sonríe en un retrato con traje oscuro y camisa blanca
Javier Suárez, presidente de Davivienda, en la rueda de prensa en la que la entidad anunció la protocolización de la integración de DaviBank. · Infobae

Davivienda backs fiscal adjustment and asks to review bank surtax

Davivienda president Javier Suárez backed correcting Colombia's public finances and moving forward with the Economic Rescue Law, but asked to review the…

Davivienda president Javier Suárez backed the need to correct Colombia's public finances and to move forward with the Economic Rescue Law of President Abelardo De La Espriella's Government, while asking for a review of the five-percentage-point surtax that banks pay above the income tax applied to other sectors. --- The context --- Suárez linked macroeconomic stability to Colombians' prosperity and argued that adjusting public accounts must be a priority requiring participation from different sectors of the economy. Suárez said the tax reform and, in general, the fiscal adjustment are necessary, and that the country's fiscal situation must be looked after. --- The facts --- The statements were made during a press conference at which the bank announced the formalization of the DaviBank integration. There, Suárez acknowledged that the country faces a fiscal situation requiring decisions and supported the Economic Rescue Law, an initiative he described as a first step against fiscal imbalances. His main objection concerns the five-percentage-point surtax. As he explained, the charge was initially temporary and was set to decrease progressively, but the proposal would extend it. The surcharge applies to financial institutions recording taxable income equal to or greater than 120.000 UVT. --- The positions --- For Davivienda's president, banks should be taxed under the same conditions as any other company, without an additional burden for belonging to the financial sector, because keeping that difference amounts to inequitable treatment. At the same time, he made clear the objection does not mean refusing to contribute: if extending the surtax for a while longer is part of the solution, the bank is willing to make that effort. He also recalled that the law's provisions must still be discussed in Congress. --- What remains unknown --- How the surtax will be treated after discussion in Congress remains unknown, as does whether the final text will keep the extension or incorporate changes. --- Unanswered questions --- Will Congress keep the surtax extension in the law's final text? Will the charge's initially temporary character be reviewed? How will the fiscal effort be shared among the different sectors of the economy? --- EPM analysis --- The statement combines support for the adjustment with a defense of equal tax conditions across sectors. That the main objection comes with a willingness to bear the cost shows a debate about how the effort is shared, not about whether the effort is necessary. 📌 EPM Take: In EPM's view, Davivienda's message puts the emphasis where a serious fiscal debate belongs: the adjustment is necessary and macroeconomic stability protects every Colombian's prosperity, but the burden should be shared under even rules across sectors. Suárez backs the Economic Rescue Law, acknowledges the Government's first step and only asks to review a surtax that was born temporary. That he also accepts extending it if it is part of the solution confirms this is a discussion about fairness, not resistance to the collective effort.
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