Employers indicate that investments are being delayed while they are awaiting response to requests for exemptions made to the Commission of the Executive.
According to representatives from the Honduran Council of Private Enterprise (Cohep), about 700 companies records have been retained pending a special commission to determine whether or not to provide tax breaks to those who request it.
Issuers of invoices, receipts and other tax documents may only print on approved printers.
A new billing system that will be implemented by the Executive Directorate of Revenue (DEI) aims to reduce evasion of Sales Tax. "... it will control and regulate the printing of tax documents, such as bills, notes, tickets, rent receipts, fees, debit notes, credit, reference guides, proof of tax on earnings ...", noted an article in Latribuna.hn .
If the Honduran institutions do not recover from the recent elections, the country and the entire region could be seriously jeopardized.
And the near future of the country will depend in part on how differences over the election results are resolved.
An editorial in Nacion.com reports: "Against a background of institutional weakness, constant expansion of drug trafficking, petty corruption, gangs, violent crime and a rate of 86 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants, the largest in the world, Honduras presidential election was held on 24 November."
Private sector urges the need for a national agreement to restrict state spending and fight corruption and tax evasion.
Eduardo Facussé, president of the Honduran Council of Private Enterprise (Cohep) states that the incoming government should convene a fiscal pact involving not only civil society but all sectors in the country.
"The pact should include restrictions on public spending, reducing corruption to the lowest levels, punishing criminals who erode the public purse, and punishing those who do not pay taxes," said Facussé to Latribuna.hn.
The oil company Chevron will make an offer to Honduran authorities regarding hydrocarbon exploration in the Atlantic in that country.
"Let's see what kind of proposal they bring at this opportunity. They have informed us that they have an interest in returning to Honduras to look at proposals on the development of oil projects," said Roberto Cardona, head of Natural Resources and the Environment (Serna) .
The resort in the Caribbean of Honduras in which $98 million has been invested will open in early 2014.
The project is located in the Bay of Tela and has a golf course, a five-star hotel, spa and other areas . "The important thing is the impact it will have on the community, as more than 400 people will work on the project, most of the area, and I think the resort will bring great benefits to this region," said Camilo Atala, president of Indura .
The Government of Honduras has overturned a drug tender for $24.4 million and announced that the purchase will be made through a trust with private banks.
Elheraldo.hn reports that "the purchase was declared unsuccessful based on the State Procurement Act being contrary to national interests in virtue of the fact that it involves the purchase of medicines at a higher price than currently received by the Health Department through a trust with the private banking system".
Negotiations are underway for a voluntary agreement to channel excess supply of wood in the Honduran market by exporting it to the EU with legal certification.
"... With the European Union we are negotiating a voluntary agreement to export timber and open the market which today is very insignificant, less than 2%, but we hope that in the future it will be the largest source of Honduran timber exports," said José Trinidad Suazo, executive director of Forest Conservation Institute (ICF).
The Civil Aviation Authority in Honduras has requested the allocation of $20 million to upgrade its air communications equipment.
The request came after some aviation companies complained of continuing air traffic incidents due to poor navigation systems.
The proposal was presented to President Porfirio Lobo by Raquel Adolfo Quan, Minister of Public Works and Manuel Enrique Caceres, chief of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).
The Honduran government is looking for better management options for the four shrimp farms owned by Hondufarms-Ibermar.
"... Hondufarms, Exmar, Culcasa and CW Camaron will no longer be managed by so-called "technicians", who ultimately conceded these goods to well known national companies affiliated with the National Aquaculture Association of Honduras (Andah) ", reported Elheraldo.hn article.
The National Council for Defence and Security plans to spend $30 million on three radars to detect aircraft entering the country illegally.
The equipment will be acquired through a loan with a ten year payment plan which is expected to arrive in the country later this year, and will be used to combat drug trafficking activities, said René Osorio, head of the Joint Chiefs of the Armed Forces.
Honduras's government denies that it is negotiating with the transnational Chevron over a concession for oil exploration in the Caribbean Sea.
This was confirmed by the Minister of the Presidency, María Antonieta Guillén, after leaders of the College of Mechanical Electrical and Chemical Engineers, of Honduras (CIMEQH) denounced that negotiations were being made for the direct award of 38 thousand kilometers in the Caribbean Sea for oil exploration.
The Supreme Electoral Tribunal intends to acquire several thousand computers, printers and scanners.
The equipment will be used to complete the Integrated Screening and Disclosure Election System (known as Siede) , yet there is no information on the process to be followed for its acquisition.
Enrique Ortez, Judge of the Supreme Electoral Court (TSE) , noted that "This will have a strong impact, but it is not only the impact of the amount that is significant. It needs to be requested at least 60 days in advance ... Quotes must be obtained from different places, according to the technical characteristics " .
In order to boost trade links and tourism, among other things, the embassy will open its doors on October 14.
From a press release by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Honduras:
Chancellor Mireya Aguero de Corrales together with Ambassador of the Russian Federation, Mr. Nicolay Vladimir, Undersecretary of Finance, Evelyn Bautista, commissioner for the Promotion of Public-Private Partnerships (COALIANZA), Jose Antonio Pineda, from the Foundation for Investment and Development of Exports (FIDE), Vilma Sierra and the representative of the Honduran Council of Private Enterprise (COHEP), Abraham Benatton, held a discussion with the media to publicize the forthcoming official visit to Russia by the Honduran delegation .
In various departments state officials are owed wages, and at the same time there is increasing pressure from others to be granted increases in their salaries.
Among the sectors that have been affected are employees in the Health department, the Honduran Telecommunications Company (Hondutel), the Public Ministry and the National Police.
For example, the Ministry of Health owes $3.5 million to 672 doctors on contracts nationwide, most have not been paid since January. Another nearly $5 million is owed to nurses and assistants in back wages and some shifts.