After suspending the process of reopening the economy, on July 27 the country will resume Phase I in Region 3, which provides for the reactivation of operations of companies with 20% of their workforceº
In view of the possibility of energy rationing for the summer season in Honduras, businesspeople are calling for the tender processes for the supply of electricity to be speeded up.
Because the private sector believes that the conditions to formalize companies and generate new jobs do not exist, the employers are urging the government to declare an emergency due to the unemployment situation.
It is estimated that only 33,000 new jobs were generated in the country last year, which includes jobs in companies and government institutions.
As a result of the debt that the National Electric Energy Company has with the generators, the business sector fears that in 2020 there will be rationing in the supply of electricity.
For the Honduran Council of Private Enterprise (Cohep), it urges that the Honduran government cancel the debt to the power generators, which totals about $568 million. If the obligations are not paid, severe service rationing could be reported in the middle of next year, according to productive sector forecasts.
In Honduras, rebates and discounts applied to sales should be detailed on the invoice, a change with which the business sector would disagree if the government decides to collect taxes on the discounted amount.
On March 1, the changes to the invoices, which were imposed by Agreement 817-2018, came into effect. Among them, it is important to note that the fields for discounts and rebates must be included in the format of the document.
With a few weeks to go before the end of the 2017/18 agricultural cycle, entrepreneurs in the sector project that production will amount to 1 million hundredweight less than initially expected.
In a complicated context, with international prices at record lows and rising local production costs, Honduras is projecting less grain production for this cycle.
From June 5 to 9, companies from the energy industry will be gathering together in San Pedro Sula to take part in business conferences and discuss issues that are relevant to the sector.
The initiative is being run by state entities and the private sector, and will take place between June 5 and 9 at the Convention Center of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Cortés (CCIC) in San Pedro Sula.
Although Juan Orlando Hernández has now been declared as the winner of the elections and blockades and demonstrations have decreased, difficulties in transporting merchandise to and from Puerto Cortés, as well as land borders, remain.
As a result of the difficulties faced by entrepreneurs when transporting goods to and from Honduras, companies in neighboring countries are looking for alternatives to expedite shipments, especially those of perishable products.
September 30 is the deadline for companies to take advantage of the amnesty for regularization in the payment of income tax.
Latribuna.hn reports that "...The Legal Adviser of the Honduran Council of Private Enterprise (Cohep), Gustavo Solórzano, explained that the benefit of regularization consists of the payment of 1.5% on income from one of the last five years, or from 2012 to date.He also stressed that now, with the extension, "it includes up until December 2016, so it covers the entire fiscal period."
The business sector is opposed to a bill which aims to regulate interest rates on bank and nonbank loans, including credit cards.
In the opinion of the private sector the usury bill that is being promoted by the executive branch "... contradicts the laws governing financial activity."This is the view of the Honduran Council of Private Enterprise (COHEP), who presented several comments on the text to the Presidential House and Congress .
Coffee and tobacco farms in Panama increase their performance when they are used not only as farms but also as rural tourism destinations.
Agricultural production combined with recreation and tourist attraction has created additional financial income for Panamanian producers. According to statistics from the Ministry of Agricultural Development (MIDA) released by Laestrella.com.pa, the number of agritourism farms in the country rose from 28 in 2014 to 220 in 2015.
Canadian businessmen will be visiting Tegucigalpa on 23rd and 24th of February to explore opportunities in the food and renewable energy sectors.
The trade mission, organized by the Embassy of Canada, will be held on the premises of the Honduran Council of Private Enterprise (COHEP) and with the support of the Honduran Association of Renewable Energy Producers (AHPER) reported Latribuna.hn.
The Supreme Court has not ruled in favor of the union of private companies, which sought to suspend the collection of income taxes of 1.5%.
Businessmen from different sectors showed their discontent after the Supreme Court rejected the appeal by the Honduran Council of Private Enterprise (COHEP) and announced that the collection of the (ISR) tax will remain in place.
The private sector has denounced that on top of the negative effect of the new tax of 1.5%, are delays in the payment of $19 million in tax refunds.
Added to this is the cost for companies of undergoing tax audits required by the Executive Directorate of Revenue (DEI) to justify their financial position and request an adjustment in the payment of 1.5% of income tax to be paid by those generating sales of over $456 thousand.
The Constitutional Court has rejected the constitutional challenge presented by the business sector and left in place the collection of 1.5% income tax.
The Supreme Court has confirmed the income tax of 1.5%, which applies to companies reporting net sales of over $456 000, leaving exempt from this charge those reporting lesser incomes and those with less than two years of being established.
español
5883
