Petro’s Top Fixer Sees Congress Hiking Taxes on Rich Colombians

Colombian lawmakers will take the unconventional step of raising taxes right before an election since only wealthy voters will be affected, according to the government’s top power broker.

“It’s pretty unusual to pass a tax bill in the second half of the year, when there are elections in March,” Interior Minister Armando Benedetti said in an interview on Thursday. “But since this is about taxing the rich, not the middle class, I don’t see why they can’t approve it.”

Benedetti was key in getting out the vote that ensured President Gustavo Petro’s 2022 election victory, and is now his ...