Senator Criticizes Tax Deal, Urges Socialist Party to Lead Opposition Against 'Sweeping Right-Wing'

Senator Francisco Huenchumilla of the Christian Democratic Party has sharply criticized a tax reform agreement reached between senators from the PPD party and the government. Huenchumilla labeled the deal regarding tax stability as a "political error" that exclusively benefited the executive branch. He told El Diario de Cooperativa that the Finance Minister, Jorge Quiroz, "liquidated" the negotiating senators, who he believes "did not realize" the political cost of their maneuver. Huenchumilla argued that the disarray within the center-left stems from a misdiagnosis of their adversary. "This is not a traditional right-wing party... this is the tax-focused far-right, like Milei, like Trump, where the policy of crushing adversaries illuminates these ideological projects," he stated, referring to the government's 40-point reform bill. He noted that while other opposition members consider the tax stability clause unconstitutional, the PPD senators' agreement contradicts this stance. "This is a clear victory for Minister Quiroz over the center-left and a crushing defeat that Minister Quiroz dealt to the PPD senators who failed to gauge this," he said. Huenchumilla specifically pointed to the agreement's terms: 10 years of tax stability for projects under $100 million, but 25 years for large companies investing over $350 million. He believes the core issue is establishing a legally binding, "petrified" clause through legislation, which he argues should only be done via a constitution. Addressing the opposition's lack of leadership, Huenchumilla reiterated his call for the Socialist Party to spearhead the process. "If the Socialist Party gets its act together, it can play a very important role. That is my political view," he said, emphasizing the party's historical organizational strength. He acknowledged the global challenge of political offerings for the left amid citizen uncertainty, but stressed that President José Antonio Kast's government "has the votes" to pass the reform despite opposition plans to appeal to the Constitutional Court.

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This is the right-wing that is sweeping. What do you do when a right-wing comes and tells you: 'Look, this doesn't change anything, and it doesn't change anything because I have the votes. And therefore, whatever you do, I'm not going to change anything'?