Panama’s mayor skips questions - gets thumbs down from business community

(Newsroompanama.com) Last year, music  lovers and social butterflies gave a raspberry to Panama mayor, Bosco Vallarino at the Jazz Festival.

This year he got the thumbs down from the city’s business community.

When he turned up at the Panama Chamber of Commerce on Wednesday, January 12. to explain the new municipal tax hike he got the cold shoulder and the businessmen unanimously called for him to do away with the municipal tax hike.

This time he had no “advisor” to take the flak in the form of tough questions. But he avoided the issue by saying he had no time to take questions, not even five minutes as he was travelling to El Salvador.

But the man who has never seen a microphone or a recorder he didn’t like, found time to stop outside the building to chat with mike wielding reporters.

One participant at the meeting said: “He was supposed to discuss our concerns, instead the mayor gave a ridiculous presentation about what he would like to see in Panama in the future with his $93 million dollar budget and he left before anyone could comment on his presentation or on the new law.”

The Chamber of Commerce and all present rejected the law.

The meeting was convened following criticism expressed by the Chamber of Commerce, the National Council of Private Enterprise, and the Union of Industrialists .

The Municipality, after a series of missteps and amendments, plans to raise taxes on motorists living in the city. Originally the increased rates were to have been levied on the initial purchase price of a vehicle.

After strong public reaction including car dealers pointing out that a car loses value as soon as it is driven out of the dealership, amendments were announced, and the introduction of the hastily introduced measure moved from January to March.

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Original Source: Newsroompanama.com

Date Retrieved: January 13, 2011.