Former Senator Jorge Lavandero presented the results of their investigations into what he calls "the looting of Chile's copper." The former MP stressed the importance of publicizing the issue in public opinion to break the media silence that round red metal and fight for the defense of Chilean heritage.
On Tuesday April 5 at the bookstore Le Monde Diplomatique , former Senator Jorge Lavandero presented his research "The theft of copper in all Chileans."
This talk reveals evidence of looting of the mineral Red made by multinationals in the past 25 years, with the complicity of employers and authorities.
To Lavandero is a true commitment "to inform" the citizens of what is happening because the media do not.
According to him, "[...] copper is the hidden track on the media and public discussion. [...] Is not something casual but carefully planned [for] its operation can be made in the peace of silence. "
The former senator said that " Chile is potentially one of the richest countries in the world ", so" I can not keep quiet [because] we live in a society much more fair with this wealth, if only they knew the Chileans, "he added.
PRIVATIZATION OF CHILEAN RESOURCES
copper Privatization was carried out under the governments of the Concertación and was not the work of José Piñera during the time of the Pinochet dictatorship , as one can assume, he said.
These governments gave the green light to multinationals. "It have taken over most of our copper [...] leading to a global overproduction, the price collapsed and destroyed the country in substantial revenue from this sector withdrew, "said Lavandero.
Former senator gave the example of the mining agreement with Argentina . When he was voted in Congress, most lawmakers agreed that Argentine judges have jurisdiction over Chilean territory and authorized to approve a mining concession and transit for the company to remove Pascua Lama in Chile Argentine deposits .
WEALTH CHILEAN AND THE "LOOTING"
Knowing the numbers that measure the wealth of Chile, it is understood that the privatization of copper has a huge impact on the "looting" the country's resources .
Lavandero said that "[...] the country [Chile] represents only 0.25% of the land surface. However, in this tiny percentage of the planet is concentrated 37% of world copper reserves. Chile copper is what OPEC (11 countries in total!) Is to oil. " It
often said that Codelco (state enterprise) does not benefit the State Chile, and that it is better to privatize it, to get better performance of the copper.
However, the figures speak: Codelco operates 28% of copper, of which 75% of profits go to the state. For their part, private companies operate 72% of copper, of which 25% is delivered to the State. "It will not be an economist to say that we are stealing," Lavandero was outraged.
He added that one third of production, Codelco pay 40% of state tax Chile, which generates 10 billion dollars. With two thirds of production, private companies pay 10% tax and 2,500 million dollars to the treasury, "which equates to a deficit of 17,500 million dollars to the state every year."
LOAD OF TAXATION
tax burden on mining companies in Latin America varies between 14.8% and 37.6%. "Chile has the lowest burden of the continent [even lower than Canada or United States], with 14.8%. "And companies do not pay, "snapped the ex-senator.
Lavandero revealed that "between 1995 and 2003, of the 57 private companies in the Chilean territory, only one has paid the tax and other sporadic, the remaining 55, did not pay anything, ever. [...] And that he knows all Senate, the entire Congress, the entire Executive "he added.
"Even Thatcher or Reagan had allowed" he said.
To avoid paying these taxes, companies "are implemented every possible subterfuge." One of these is based on the fact that in Chile, to pay taxes to national income, companies have to declare profits. Then "good management results in poor state profits, or lost."
Lavandero necessary advocates a "new form of taxation that can not be evaded." proposes royalty as "just compensation to the removal of one ton of ore that is lost forever, as the royalty is in addition to tax, the price charged ore.
WHAT CAN BE DONE WITH THE LOOTING?
According to the former authority, "copper or controlled by nationalizing private companies, the Chilean government could count with 30,000 million dollars a year!".
With this money could develop a better and fairer life for Chileans. "Every family would receive a house Chilean absolutely free when you spend 18,700 million to 7 million 200 thousand houses totaling 1.000UF. It could deliver 400 thousand pesos per month to retirees. Young people may have a good and free education for everyone, from elementary to professional or technical level. You could develop a good health care and free up to 500 thousand pesos each year. And finally a million and a half of small industrialists and artisans could receive a 20-year loan of 20 million pesos, without interest. "
So why expropriate 20% of Codelco as proposed Piñera in his political campaign? According Laundry, this suggestion was made by a former minister of economy and mining.
In 2002, Codelco generated 198 tons of copper. Knowing that a pound of copper on the metals market is worth, for example, 3.0 U $, the state company would have generated a billion dollars. "How many is 20% of a billion? Much more than the income from the sale. "In addition, today's copper to 4.27 per pound."
In his view, what Chile needs is "a policy of large-scale mining of copper, giving added value to our natural resources and refine copper in Chile, close the tax gap, establishing a true royalty, and require transparency in the foreign investment committee. "
added that we must "look to the future." He raised the example of electric cars that need lithium battery , and the second largest exporter of lithium Chile. Hence the need to "be attentive to what is going to deal in this sector," he said.
For Mélissa Quillio
The Ciudadano.cl
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