“To meet the demands of the International Monetary Fund, the government is introducing a tax reform that favors the ultra-wealthy while punishing the middle class and the working-class sectors,” the legislator wrote on his social media account on X.

According to the former presidential candidate, the administration intends to levy taxes on basic food staples while easing the tax burden on the most powerful.

He also remarked that they seem to have forgotten what happened when former President Ivan Duque (2018–2022) attempted to implement a similar measure in 2021—a move that triggered a major social uprising across the nation.

In practical terms, this means that food items such as coffee, sugar, vegetable oils, pasta, and flour would lose their reduced tax rate, while products currently exempt—including beans, lentils, chickpeas, corn, salt, fresh cheeses, and a wide variety of fresh fruits and vegetables—would become subject to taxation.

Gabriel Becerra, a member of the House of Representatives for the *Pacto Historico* (Historic Pact) coalition, noted that the proposal also imposes greater burdens on the middle class through increased taxes on healthcare and income, while the wealthiest would benefit from changes to the wealth tax.

“They are charging more to those who have the least, while easing the burden on those who have the most. It’s an absolute disaster,” he lamented.

Other aspects of the bill have also raised concerns among opposition groups.

jdt/rc/ifs