The opposition's counterproposal to Kast's mega-project includes a reduction in taxes for companies, but demands compensation.

This Monday, the main leaders of the opposition parties will meet again at the headquarters of the Socialist Party. The facilities at Paris 873 have served as a center of operations where the sector has coordinated to confront the government of President José Antonio Kast, whose flagship initiative is the economic megaproject being processed in Congress. This reform has been the focus of the meetings to present a counter-proposal to what is being proposed by La Moneda. The drafting of this initiative was entrusted to the Progressive Think Tank Network (RCCP), which includes groups such as Igualdad, Nodo XXI, Horizonte Ciudadano, Rumbo Colectivo, and ICAL. Among the economists involved are some who worked in the presidential command of Jeannette Jara, such as Luis Eduardo Escobar (PPD), Osvaldo Rosales (PPD), Ana María Correa (DC), and Nicolás Bohme (PC), as well as other experts, such as Carlos Ominami (PS) and Pablo Jorquera (FA). Luis Eduardo Escobar, Andrea Bentancor, Jeannette Jara, and Osvaldo Rosales. The 16-page document, to which La Tercera had access and which will be officially released this Monday at the Congress of Santiago, consists of eight points on Kast's megaproject, in addition to one dedicated to conclusions. All of this is part of the opposition's offensive, in which some more radical sectors have threatened to turn the legislative process into a nightmare through a barrage of amendments. The economists' text - which aims to present proposals - is based on the concerns raised by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the Autonomous Fiscal Council (CFA) regarding the government's proposal, which, they warn, implies that "it would seem absurd for the government to persist in the project, without accepting modifications and pursuing an ultra-accelerated process." Such a significant reform requires a broad political and technical agreement. However, it proposes reducing the corporate tax rate as a lever for investment, provided that there are offsetting measures. In the sixth point, the economists write about "the employment subsidy and the elimination of the SENCE exemption." "We propose an employment subsidy focused on SMEs and aimed at improving wages or, eventually, financing contributions for a certain period." Here, for example, they add ideas such as "expanding and strengthening the scope of the Unified Employment Subsidy (SUE)," "actively promoting the SUE," "modifying article 203 on the daycare center," and a "National Employment Agenda." In the last two sections, the opposition economists criticize the lack of more proposals in the export sector and urge the Executive Branch to exercise greater "fiscal responsibility." "The objective should be that public spending grows at a slower rate and that tax revenues at least remain constant, both as a percentage of GDP, so that the deficit is reduced," the text says. The document concludes with a section of conclusions and an appendix with 14 other pro-growth proposals, such as "400,000 housing solutions, in addition to the necessary reconstruction of Bio Bio and the Maule," "Impulse to energy storage, with a goal of 6 GW by 2028," and unblocking green hydrogen projects in Magallanes and Antofagasta.