Senate Finance Commission approves economic package that includes middle class bond and sends it to Sala

This Thursday the Senate Finance Committee approved the economic aid package that includes the middle class bond, in general and in particular, and sent it to Sala.

In this way, the Government scored a victory after an arduous negotiation to reach an agreement that lasted from Tuesday morning to Thursday morning.

In principle, the Commission approved the bill in general by four votes in favor and one abstention by Senator Carlos Montes (PS). Meanwhile, the president of the instance, Ximena Rincón (DC), senators Ricardo Lagos Weber (PPD), Juan Antonio Coloma (UDI) and José García Ruminot (RN) supported the initiative.

Among the indications entered by the Executive in agreement with the opposition and that were approved in particular, it was included the incorporation to the exceptional benefit of a bonus of $ 100,000 for pensioners for old age and disability under the modality of life annuity, to pensioners for old age or disability in programmed retirement modality with pensions equal to or greater than a Basic Solidarity Pension and less than $ 408,125.

In addition, the granting of an exceptional bonus of $ 100,000 to old-age and disability pensioners from the old system with pensions of less than $ 408,125.

Another relevant point endorsed by the Commission was the increase in the bond for carriers from $ 350,000 to $ 500,000, to leave it on equal terms to the base bond established by law.

The introduction of a new article that modifies Law No. 21,289, on the Public Sector Budget for increase the coverage of the Emergency Family Income (IFE) from 60% to 80% of socioeconomic vulnerability, according to the Social Household Registry, for all those homes that have been in quarantine or transition.

To this was added the establishment of a new comparison base with respect to the drop in income, which instead of comparing income with two months (December and January), will use an average of the six months of the second half of 2019 with the same six months of 2020.

However, not everything was an agreement and there was debate about the indication entered by the Government that implements a administrative claim system for people whose benefits have been denied.

Along these lines, Senator Montes rejected the indication and Senator Lagos abstained, considering that it did not address the opposition’s concerns correctly, but it was approved with the votes of the other members of the Commission.

Now The Senate Chamber must endorse what was approved in the Finance Commission and for this a session was called on Sunday at 10:00 a.m. despite the fact that a priori it was intended to dispatch the project to the Chamber of Deputies during the night of this Thursday.

As detailed in the financial report of the Treasury released on Wednesday, in total the indications presented and the expansion of the IFE imply a higher fiscal expenditure of US $ 261 million.