A coalition of ten social organizations in Valdivia has submitted a formal letter to the Los Ríos Presidential Delegation, urging the Government to introduce legislation to reduce the specific tax on fuel. The move aims to mitigate the economic strain that rising gas prices have placed on local families.
Community leaders visited the Delegation headquarters to request that the Executive branch push for a tax cut similar to the one proposed for corporations. According to reports from biobiochile.cl, the goal is to alleviate the effects of the rising cost of living within the regional capital.
Patricio Alarcón, secretary of the Valdivia Coast Development Council, detailed the proposal presented to the Executive. “The proposal we have put forward is to ask the President of the Republic that, just as he is about to send a bill to Congress to reduce corporate taxes by 3% (...), he also evaluates the possibility of reducing the specific fuel tax by a certain percentage,” he stated.
Impact on rural areas and workers
Rising fuel costs have directly impacted mobility in outlying areas. Lilian Pino, vice president of the Southern Rural Development Corporation, warned that increasing transport fares are making it harder for people to reach their jobs and schools.
“The increase in rural transport costs to get our residents to work and school has had a truly incredible impact. It is a priority for us that the Government takes concrete measures and does not only focus on benefits for the central zone and Santiago, but also considers rural areas,” Pino expressed.
Meanwhile, Abraham Ayala, president of the Valdivia Communal Union of Neighborhood Councils, expressed opposition to the idea that fuel price hikes should be borne by the public. The leader noted that, so far, they have received no official response regarding measures to address the situation.
“As community leaders, we must take responsibility for raising our voices and saying that we will not accept that the entire cost of the fuel hike is passed directly to the pockets of all Chileans,” Ayala affirmed.
Pressure is also mounting from the labor sector. Fabiola Leiva, president of the Valdivia Provincial CUT (Central Unification of Workers), called for clear signals from authorities regarding the well-being of the population.
“We are asking the Government to demonstrate and provide a clear signal that they care about workers and citizens in general across our country, and that they don't just reduce taxes for the wealthiest,” Leiva requested.
The groups also warned that rising fuel costs are hurting small and medium-sized enterprises, which are the backbone of local employment. The document was received by the Chief of Staff of the Presidential Delegation and will be forwarded to La Moneda Palace.
