Guatemalan Congress approves extension of propane gas subsidies

The new extension will run until January 2023 and has become a national urgency following the featured proposal by Rep. Candido Leal, Chairman of the Legislative Finance Committee.

With this, the procedure did not go through the usual three discussions and will come into force before the expiration of the previous extension.

Decree 15-2021 “Law on Temporary Social Support for Propane Gas Consumers” was also approved as a national emergency on November 17, 2021 and has been approved so far without interruption.

The idea was born from the Council of Ministers representing the President of the Republic, and it applies to cylinders with a capacity of 10, 20, 25 and 35 pounds, which are the cylinders with the highest consumption by the population.

The subsidy goes from eight quetzales ($1.02) to 28 quetzales ($3.59).

Deputy Minister of Energy and Minerals Luis Ayala, when defending this new extension on behalf of the executive, emphasized that the cash coverage for its continuation will now come from the cash balances of the 2022 budget that do not cause indebtedness.

Today, Tuesday, the deputies rejected, by a majority of 96 votes against and 24 in favor, the objections and observations submitted by various departments to Decree 54-2022, referring to the state budget 2023, after its approval last week.

Likewise, the initiative seeking to elevate Ciudad Beronia to the municipal level advanced in its first debate.

The full council also approved the resignation of Maria Eugenia Morales from the post of Supreme Court Justice judge due to health problems.

Tomorrow the session reflects on its agenda to continue the discussion and analysis in the second discussion of initiative 5590, referring to the creation of the Municipality of Ciudad Peronia.

jcm/mm