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- Newsgroups: misc.activism.progressive
- Path: sparky!uunet!gumby!wupost!mont!pencil.cs.missouri.edu!rich
- From: rich@pencil.cs.missouri.edu (Rich Winkel)
- Subject: El Salvador: PROCESO 529: NEWS BRIEFS
- Message-ID: <1992Sep14.225358.29158@mont.cs.missouri.edu>
- Followup-To: alt.activism.d
- Originator: rich@pencil.cs.missouri.edu
- Sender: news@mont.cs.missouri.edu
- Nntp-Posting-Host: pencil.cs.missouri.edu
- Organization: PACH
- Date: Mon, 14 Sep 1992 22:53:58 GMT
- Approved: map@pencil.cs.missouri.edu
- Lines: 106
-
- /** reg.elsalvador: 168.0 **/
- ** Topic: Proceso 529: News Briefs **
- ** Written 8:58 am Sep 14, 1992 by cidai@huracan.cr in cdp:reg.elsalvador **
- From: cidai@huracan.cr (Centro de Informacion Documentacion y Apoyo a la Invest. - UCAJSC)
- Subject: Proceso 529: News Briefs
-
- PROCESO 529
- September 9, 1992
-
- NEWS BRIEFS:
-
- EXTENSION: On September 3, with the votes of ARENA, PDC,
- Democratic Convergence and MAG, the Legislative Assembly passed the
- first amendment to the Value-Added Tax by offering a 30-day
- extension for those who must remit the tax, in order that they may
- have time to register and fulfill all the Treasury's obligations.
- The amendment also allows 90 days for taxpayers to continue to use
- the same receipts, ledgers, registers and other tax-related
- documents. According to legislative deputy Carlos Gonzalez, the
- measure will give businesses time to become familiar with the VAT's
- paperwork and fulfill their obligations without having to pay a
- fine.
-
- MEASURES: On September 7, the Minister of Agriculture and
- Livestock, Antonio Cabrales, reported that measures would soon be
- taken to halt price increases for basic goods, which rose sharply
- before and after the VAT took effect on the first of the month.
- Cabrales mentioned that the issue caused concern at the latest
- cabinet meeting, given increases of over 40% in the prices of
- certain goods and services. The increases bear little relation to
- the 10% decreed by the VAT, given that previous prices already
- included a 5% stamp tax.
-
- PRIVATIZATION: The Central Reserve Bank (BCR) announced that, in
- order to prevent possible abuses in the purchase of shares of the
- newly privatized banks, the norms governing the direct sale of the
- shares have been modified. Such abuses were denounced in the case
- of the Development and Investment Bank where, according to
- information collected by the Privatization Commission of the
- Legislative Assembly, some persons had attempted to control more
- than the 5% of the shares established by law. After the fraud was
- uncovered, the BCR issued 123,203 more shares of the Bank,
- representing 22.6% of total shares, with a unit value of 146.36
- colones ($17.22). In reference to privatization, BCR president Jose
- Roberto Orellana announced that shares of the Commercial and
- Salvadoran Banks would be offered for sale in October, and the
- first housing finance agencies would be up for sale by the end of
- the year; next year the nation's remaining financial institutions
- would be sold. The official also reported that the banking system
- will earn a total of almost $100 million through sale of shares, of
- which almost one-fourth will be fully paid for before the end of
- 1993.
-
- CONSUMER LAW: On September 3, the Legislative Assembly unanimously
- ratified the Consumer Defense Law, which was originally passed on
- June 19, but then returned by the president with 14 observations.
- Nine of the observations were accepted and five were rejected by
- the Assembly. Christian Democratic deputy Roberto Viera explained
- that the law allows the Ministry of the Economy to set prices of
- essential goods in the following cases: when the country is in a
- national emergency; in cases of oligopolic and monopoly practices,
- and when price-fixing is detected. The president's observations
- concur with the first case, but he opposed the other two. Also,
- according to the final version of the law ratified by the Assembly,
- national credit agencies may not charge their clients penalty
- interest fees on the total outstanding debt, as has been the
- practice, but rather on the interest corresponding to the late
- payment in question.
-
- INAUGURATION: On September 7, President Cristiani officially
- inaugurated the National Academy of Public Security. The new
- academy will be located in the former barracks of the Technical
- Center for Police Instruction (CETIPOL), in Santa Tecla. During the
- ceremony, the president expressed his confidence in the
- capabilities of the new police force. "Our country needs a
- streamlined and modern police force to consolidate democracy" and
- in order for "the people to devote themselves with tranquility to
- the job of reconstruction," said Cristiani. The new director, Jose
- Mario Bolanos, stressed the efforts made in order to get the
- Academy going; the school currently only enjoys a limited amount of
- human and financial resources, most of which were provided by the
- United States and Spain. In this regard, President Cristiani asked
- the Legislative Assembly several days ago to create a special
- budget of 22 million colones ($2.6 million) to cover the Academy's
- operating costs.
-
- THREATS: On September 7, the self-styled Salvadoran Revolutionary
- Front (FRS) sent press releases to a number of local media to
- announce its formation. The FRS, which claims to be made up of
- former FMLN combatants and government soldiers, announced it would
- carry out sabotage against public transportation and the nation's
- electrical system as a way to "stop the economic offensive launched
- by the ARENA government against the poorest of the poor." The group
- said it decided to take action "given the incapacity of the FMLN
- leadership." In response to the threats, President Cristiani
- speculated that the FRS could truly be made up of FMLN dissidents,
- or perhaps the group was "something strictly planned, since FMLN
- leaders have shown unhappiness with the [peace] accords." Defense
- Minister Ponce denied that former army soldiers might be members of
- the FRS, claiming they had had nothing in common with FMLN
- combatants throughout the war. Joaquin Villalobos reacted by
- declaring that the FRS was a psychological warfare ploy.
-
-
- ** End of text from cdp:reg.elsalvador **
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