- Title: National strike converges on Colombia's Congress amidst outrage over tax reform
- Date: 17th December 2019
- Summary: LAWMAKERS DURING SESSION LAWMAKERS SEATED DURING SESSION SIGNS NEAR LAWMAKERS THAT READ (Spanish) "NO TO TAX REFORM" GENERAL VIEW OF SENATE IN SESSION
- Embargoed: 31st December 2019 00:03
- Keywords: Bogota Colombia President Ivan Duque strike tax reform
- Location: BOGOTA, COLOMBIA
- City: BOGOTA, COLOMBIA
- Country: Colombia
- Topics: Government/Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA003BA87NT3
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text:Colombian unions, student groups and other protesters converged outside the country's Congress on Monday (December 16) against rumoured economic reform plans that critics argue give businesses too many tax breaks.
Thousands gathered in Bogota's Bolivar Plaza for a ''cacerolazo'' - a traditional Latin American expression of protest in which people bang pots and pans in protest.
It was the latest demonstration in weeks of protests, which had drawn hundreds of thousands of marchers and put pressure on Duque's proposed tax reform, which lowers duties on businesses.
Duque announced a "great national dialogue" on social issues, but government efforts to stop demonstrations had failed. The union-led National Strike Committee had stuck to demands for one-on-one talks and refused to call off protests.
Protest leaders presented 13 demands on a wide range of issues, including actions to curb the murders of social activists, the implementation of the peace agreement with the demobilized FARC guerrillas and the dissolution of a police riot squad, who are accused of violence against protesters.
(Production: Herbert Villarraga, Andres Rojas, Camilo Cohecha, Daniel Munoz) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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