As a result of the restrictions imposed by the Guatemalan Government, local businessmen estimate that sales in the commercial sector last weekend fell by up to 50% and the number of customers in restaurants and shopping centers decreased considerably.
In order to promote actions aimed at interrupting the epidemiological chain of the Covid-19 disease, Ministerial Agreement 87-2021 was published on April 17 in the Diario de Centroamerica, a regulatory framework that requires a 25% reduction in the capacity of shopping malls, commercial centers, convenience stores and restaurants.
The business sector in Guatemala is anticipating an increase in the prices of food and medicines, due to the government's decision to raise the cost of procedures such as the issuance of licenses and health registrations, required to market these products.
By means of Government Agreement 179-2020, which entered into force on December 1, 2020, new fees were imposed for the services of procedures for licenses, registrations and other processes for medicines, laboratories, pharmaceuticals, food products and others.
The transformation of purchasing habits caused by the boom in e-commerce at a regional level, forced companies to accelerate the process of implementing their plans, because now they must enhance their digital strategies and change their business culture.
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 this session he discussed the signing of the Free Trade Agreement.
The electoral triumph of Alejandro Giammattei and the appointments he is making in his cabinet to assume next January 14, are the main reasons that explain the upturn that has had business confidence since July.
The Guatemalan Chamber of Commerce opposes the special tax scheme for agricultural activity approved by Congress, arguing that it is unconstitutional and violates the principles of tax equity.
The new fiscal regime for agriculture, approved last September 24 by the deputies of the Congress of the Republic, has been surrounded by controversy, as from the beginning the chambers of industry and commerce expressed their opposition.
In Guatemala, the chambers of industry and commerce oppose the bill that proposes to create a special tax regime for agricultural activity.
The project "Law on Simplification, Updating and Tax Incorporation", which has been in Congress for more than two years, was scheduled for final discussion until September 10.
On May 24, a delegation of 12 companies from the South American country will visit Guatemala to offer local distributors foods such as avocado, apples, asparagus, blueberries and others.
The event, promoted by the Guatemalan Chamber of Commerce, will be held in a hotel south of the Guatemalan capital.
The objective of the group is to improve the quality of services provided by companies dedicated to the organization of events and improve their recognition nationally and internationally.
It is estimated that during 2018 the online purchases made by Guatemalans totaled $900 million, reporting a 13% growth over 2017, and the number of local companies selling through that medium increased 127%.
The guild of Electronic Commerce of the Chamber of Commerce of Guatemala presented the first study that measures this market, which details that between 2017 and 2018 the number of local companies sellingelectronically increased by 127%, rising from 750 to 1,700.
With the aim of providing companies with a line of support services for human resources processes, a guild for managers and intermediators of human talent has been formed in Guatemala.
The Chamber of Commerce of Guatemala (CCG) announced the creation of the Human Talent Management and Intermediation Association (GGITH), which has among its objectives providing services for talent management, and the dissemination of knowledge and improvements in the practices in human resource.
In Guatemala, business associations, mainly in the export sector, are insisting that the government resume negotiations and complete the process of adhesion to the trade agreement with the Asian country.
The private sector groups explained that despite the commercial opportunities that Guatemalan companies have with South Korea, Guatemala is the only country in Central America that has not completed negotiations to sign the FTA, meaning that they are unable to take advantage of the benefits that this agreement offers.
With the aim of strengthening the legal framework for electronic commerce and facilitating the management of certifications, the Electronic Commerce Association was created in Guatemala.
The new chamber will be able to affiliate all types of companies, and its main purposes are strengthening entrepreneurship, specialized training through certifications, and the promotion of rules and legal regulations for the sector.
The union of Guatemalan merchants and the embassy of Peru signed an agreement to increase trade between the two economies.
According to figures from Banco de Guatemala, in 2017 the Central American country imported $71 million worth of goods from Peru and exported $86 million worth to the South American country.
In the customs offices of Tecun Uman working hours have been extended both on the Guatemalan and Mexican side in order to allow passage of trucks which until now had been left stranded.
The Superintendent of Tax Administration is also operating an extraordinary timetable, a measure which could be extended for a few days, depending on what is decided at the end of the weekend.
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