Protests put Colombia's Duque in the hotseat on tax reform

Widespread street protests in Colombia are likely to force embattled President Ivan Duque to make major changes to his tax reform proposal if he wants to pass the bill before a year-end deadline.

Galvanized by nearly a week of protests and inspired by demonstrations across Latin America, unions are clamoring for the government to scrap the bill, which includes tax cuts for businesses, while opposition parties are trying to slow the legislative debate in hopes of winning concessions.

The constitutional court has ruled the bill must be passed by year-end or the tax regime will revert to 2018 provisions.

If Duque fails to pass the reform or is forced to water it down dramatically, he will frustrate business leaders and conservative allies who say the bill is essential to maintain the country’s credit rating and reduce debt.

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