House speaker: Budget bill, measure to tax foreign firms must go to conference committee
By The Star Staff
Speaker of the House of Representatives Rafael “Tatito” Hernández Montañez announced on Tuesday that he does not concur with the fiscal year 2022-2023 budget that will be approved by the Senate and that he will make another version to be discussed in a conference committee and which is aligned with the Financial Oversight and Management Board as well as with a measure to tax foreign corporations.
“We are sending a letter to the fiscal control board where we are clarifying that we are both [legislative] bodies complying with the schedule and that in the next few days, we must be dialoguing, both bodies, to formally present a final version on June 22 at a meeting with the board so that we can come to an understanding as we have done in the past, and next June 27, approve the final version,” Hernández Montañez said in the House chamber.
“What is going to happen in the House is that it is not going to concur with the Senate version, and a conference committee is going to be created,” he said. “That does not mean that they are not working, in order to be able, united, to arrive at a single version. The ideal thing … is to have a version already agreed on between both [legislative] bodies and discuss it directly with the board.”
Hernández Montañez said the purpose is to buy time so that the funds for the payment of the State Health Insurance Administration and the Equalization Fund for municipalities are included.