After the Guatemalan Constitutional Court suspended the implementation of differentiated salaries in 2015, the Giammattei administration plans to discuss the application of regional minimum salaries during 2021 and the plan is for them to enter into force in 2022.
In 2015 the Guatemalan government established differentiated salaries for the municipalities of Masagua in Escuintla, Guastatoya and San Agustín Acasaguastlán in El Progreso and Estanzuelas in Zacapa.
After almost 100 days of restrictions on the mobility of people and the closure of some productive activities, the Guatemalan private sector is asking the authorities to start evaluating the gradual opening of businesses under strict protocols.
Due to the outbreak of covid-19, the authorities decreed the closure of several economic activities since mid-March, and up to date restrictions to the operation of some sectors are still in place.
Guatemalan businessmen believe that in order to reactivate economic activity in the country, it is necessary to restrict the number of people in public spaces and increase the number of tests performed on those who have signs of carrying the virus.
During the recent visit of the Ecuadorian president to Guatemala, the intention to take up again the issue of the Free Trade Agreement between the two countries, whose negotiation was stalled years ago, was expressed.
As a result of the inauguration of the new Guatemalan government, Ecuadorian President Lenin Moreno visited the Central American country and took advantage of the occasion to meet with Guatemalan businessmen.
In Guatemala, 54% of businessmen believe that in 2020 the local economy will accelerate, 42% believe that stable growth will be reported and 4% believe that a slowdown could be reported.
According to the Third Business Perception Survey conducted by the Coordinating Committee of Agricultural, Commercial, Industrial and Financial Associations (Cacif), 67% of respondents expect greater growth of their companies and 56% expect more employment with the arrival of the new government.
For Guatemalan businessmen, in order to have solid institutions in the country, aspects of the electoral system, civil service, justice sector and public expenditure must be modernized, strengthened and regulated.
On October 10, the National Meeting of Businessmen for Development (ENADE 2019) was held, which dealt with the theme "From a Liquid State to a Solid State."
Arguing to defend "the interests of the workers", labor union groups in Guatemala filed an appeal against the recently approved agreement regulating part-time employment in the country, and in response, the Constitutional Court decided to temporarily suspend it.
After several years of discussion, on June 27, 2019 Governmental Agreement 89-2019 was published in the Official Newspaper.
The country's business sector proposes that elements such as productivity, economic growth and the level of formality be taken into account when calculating the minimum wage, instead of the decision only revolving around the basic basket variable.
The possible changes to the minimum wage in the country is an issue generating expectations among the different sectors, since in the next few days the National Salary Commission (CNS) will have to discuss the proposals to decide if it increases or decreases.
On August 11, Guatemalans will go for the second time to the polls, in a climate of uncertainty, tension and roadblocks, because of dissatisfaction with the results of the first round of elections and the recent immigration agreement signed with the United States.
Guatemala's business sector responded with concern to President Trump's warning about imposing export tariffs and levies on remittances and transfers.
The announcement made by the president of the United States comes after the Guatemalan Constitutional Court issued a ruling in which it limits its foreign policy functions to the Executive, by granting a provisional injunction that prevents the negotiation or signing of any agreement.
Because of the problems associated with the transmission of the results to the computer system, eleven days after the presidential elections were held in Guatemala, the manual revision of the 105,000 physical records has begun.
According to preliminary data from the presidential elections released by the Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE), it was established that the National Unity of Hope, Sandra Torres, was the option that obtained the highest number of votes with 23.7%. Torres was followed by Alejandro Giammattei of the Vamos party with 13.9% of the vote, Edmond Mulet of the Humanist Party of Guatemala with 11.1% and Thelma Cabrera of the MLP with 10.4%.
For the Guatemalan business sector, the conditions are in place to facilitate the exoneration of fines and interest despite being an election year, but for the government, a tax amnesty will not be an option this year.
Because of the tax credit repayment problem that has been reported for several years in Guatemala, businessmen believe it is feasible to make a tax amnesty, but the authorities do not consider it, because they argue that it is not the way to improve tax revenues.
Two weeks before the General Elections in Guatemala, the business sector perceives a favorable environment for business because of the behavior of the country's economic activity.
According to the Business Perception Survey, compiled by the Coordinating Committee of Agricultural, Commercial, Industrial and Financial Associations (Cacif), 67% of the consulted businessmen foresee stability in employment and 50% thought that there is a stable economic environment for companies. These expectations of the private sector are reported in the final stretch of the country's electoral process.
During its last visit to Guatemala, the IMF warned that if banking secrecy is not lifted in the country, compliance with "international transparency treaties" could be undermined.
After the last visit of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to Guatemala, the international organization warned that reversing the decrease in tax collection involves strengthening the control of large taxpayers, improving the use of tax information to reduce non-compliance, reallocating resources to risk-based audits, and reconsidering the lifting of bank secrecy for tax auditing purposes.
Arguing that "it has violated human rights in Guatemala through selective and partial justice", President Morales decided to end the mandate of the United Nations International Commission against Impunity.
After more than ten years of the International Commission Against Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG), the Morales administration announced in 2018 that it would not renew the agreement with the United Nations that establishes the foreign institution dedicated to criminal investigation.
español
6966
