Global Courant
The repair of edges and especially the construction of dams are two of the biggest demands of the Sula Valley to the central government.
Deputies of the National Congress and businessmen from the northern zone held a meeting yesterday in the Chamber of Commerce and Industries of Cortés (CCIC), where they spoke about the need to boost the growth of the economy through public works, political stability, laws that encourage investment, the general budget, among others.
The outlook is not very encouraging, the maquila has lost more than 30,000 direct jobs (about 100,000 indirect jobs) with the closure of some factories permanently and temporarily. There is interest in new investments in the sector, but they are stagnant due to an environment of instability and the threat of the Tax Justice Law, which contains no incentives for investors.
Besides
Deputy Ramón Barrios asked businessmen to detail the priority projects to include them in the Budget.
The meeting, which lasted all morning, had not even begun two hours when the mayor of San Pedro Sula, Roberto Contreras, dissatisfied with the lack of responses to the demands of the municipality. “San Pedro Sula needs 4,000 lamps, 1,500 policemen or at least 1,000 policemen, 50 patrol cars and the construction of boards, given that the rains are coming and people are likely to lose their belongings. 76 weeks of Government They remain and within about 40 the policy will begin, which means that it will take a long time” for SPS to have what is required.
Contreras said that the response from the legislators was that they only legislate and that what the northern zone needs must come from the Executive power. “They are right to some extent, so you have to approach the Executive and not the Legislative. They say they have nothing to do with street lighting, police assignment and security on the North Shore. Basically they are talking about politics, that’s why I left earlier, I’d better go see if I clean up the Dandy market”.
transfers
Silvia Ayala, deputy for the Libre Party, expressed at the meeting that Mayor Contreras denounced that the Government has not made any transfer of funds to him since his administration began, for which reason they consulted the Finance Minister, Rixi Moncada, about this situation by telephone; however, Contreras did not wait for the answer and “ran out of the room,” Ayala said.
Minister Moncada explained that in 2022 they transferred more than L44 million to the municipality of Sampedrana and this year about L28 million, and they have not continued making transfers because the mayor’s office needs to liquidate L88 million to be able to make the other disbursements.
Mario Pérez, deputy of the National Party and vice president of the National Congress, maintained that the demands for roads, lighting and other projects are with the ministers. “The economic situation in the country is bad, companies are closing, jobs are being lost, people continue to migrate for different reasons and one of them is that there is no climate of security in private investment and there is no public investment.”
Pérez complained because as a bench they are excluded and are not being listened to. Marlon Lara, representative of the Liberal Party, stressed that the municipalities need to be assigned their budget.
“Last year the Liberal Party requested that the Government comply with 11% of the transfers to the mayors as indicated by the Law of Municipalities; so why the Government only transfers 5% to them. Last year the budget closed with a public investment of 19%, they kept all the money, they could not execute it. Thousands of works are being carried out throughout the country, generating employment and increasing economic activity”.
Lara added that the Government He has L42,000 million in a confidential item that are funds that are not executed.
Investments
Eduardo Facussepresident of the CCICasked the deputies for a report on the economic impact and the jobs that the Tax Justice Law which continues to be promoted.
He also pointed out that in the energy sector losses amount to about L15,000 million annually. “Let’s put those who are stealing energy in jail. There doesn’t seem to be the will to do that.”
As a third point, he asked legislators to influence to expedite productive infrastructure projects such as dams, highways and the remodeling of the Villeda Morales airport.
Mario Canahuatipresident of the Honduran Association of Maquiladoras (AHM), shared that from October to date more than 30,000 direct jobs have been lost and they could continue to be lost if the “confrontation, doubt and uncertainty” continue.
Canahuati explained that as an industry they continue to meet with Asian, American and Canadian businessmen and to generate the investment climate, investments between $600 and $1,000 million could be made in 2024.
“If the law does not pass (Tax Justice Law), 2024 would be a year of recovery, in Honduras foreign investment is stagnant,” Canahuati pointed out.
Deputies from the different departments of the country met with businessmen from the northern zone at the CCIC.
