The bill that would impose a $10 fee on travelers transiting through Tocumen International Airport and other country's air terminals remains in limbo. The initiative did not go to debate this Wednesday, March 25, because the Economy and Finance Commission, chaired by Deputy Eduardo Gaitán of the independent 'Vamos' faction, did not hold a session due to lack of quorum. Those who attended the session were Gaitán; Luis Duke, from the 'Vamos' faction; Isaac Mosquera, from the Nationalist Liberal Republican Movement (Molirena); Luis Charris, suppléant of Ariel Vallarino from 'Realizing Goals' (RM); and Joana Cedeño, suppléant of Raúl Pineda from the Democratic Revolutionary Party (PRD). They managed to read the correspondence; however, Mosquera left, leaving the commission without the required quorum, which forced the session to be adjourned. Rejection Bill 131, presented by Benicio Robinson (son), suppléant of his father Benicio Robinson of the PRD, was the first item on the agenda. The proposal, which has been rejected by the country's tourism sector, seeks to create the so-called 'Transit Airport Facilities Usage Fee', with the aim of capturing part of the high flow of international passengers who use Panama as a hub without formally entering the country. 'It is not an increase, it is a fee so that we can give it to the Oncological, the Children's Hospital, Santo Tomás (...) so that our people can have a better quality of life,' Robinson Jr. said during the Assembly's period of incidents last Monday. 'We will be in the discussion (...) so that a fee is given to transit passengers and is destined for our people,' he added. However, aviation and business guilds have warned that applying a fee to transit passengers could affect the country's air connectivity compared to other regional centers. Meanwhile, the Panamanian Hotel Association (Apatel) expressed its opposition to the initiative by warning about its possible adverse effects on air competitiveness and the performance of the tourism sector. In a statement, the hotel guild expressed its 'deep concern' about the initiative, considering that it would set a negative precedent by using a strategic sector as a source of revenue for purposes unrelated to its sustainability. Other topics for debate The Economy and Finance Commission also left on the agenda the first debates of other bills, among which stands out Bill 492, which seeks to add an article to the Fiscal Code on the budget of revenues and expenses, and Bill 502, aimed at dictating the framework law of the general state budget to establish rules for its formulation and execution. Similarly, the discussion of Bill 503, which adopts the law of integrity and prevention of corruption in public finance, and Bill 504, an initiative that seeks to strengthen public procurement in Panama through the creation of a digital list of people convicted of crimes against public administration, were also pending.
