Three news stories from Ibero-America: High tax pressure in Spain, armed U.S. military to enter Mexico, HRW denounces Colombia and Panama over migrants

Marina Vanni

Tax burden in Spain reaches 39%, according to the IEE

Spain’s Institute of Economic Studies indicated this Wednesday, April 3, that tax revenues will grow percentage-wise more than GDP.

The "Tax Competitiveness 2023: Tighter corporate taxation in Spain slows economic growth" report criticizes the current tax situation and denounces that the country makes a tax effort 17.8% higher than that of the European Union.

According to the document, tax collection reached a new record, surpassing the 2019 maximum with an additional 50,000 million euros. The president of the IEE, Íñigo Fernández de Mesa, indicated that the tax burden far exceeds that of other OECD countries.

Mexico approves the entry of armed U.S. military

On Tuesday, April 2, the Mexican Senate approved a decree requested by President Andrés Manuel López Obrador to allow the entry of U.S. armed forces.

The measure, criticized by certain detractors as violating the sovereignty and security of the Latin American country, seeks to train Mexican personnel in the so-called "Joint Exercise Training".

11 military personnel from the neighboring nation will enter Mexico on April 8 in a Hercules aircraft for the exercises in the state of Chihuahua.

Colombia, Panama failing to protect migrants in Darien, says HRW

Human Rights Watch claims that the governments of Colombia and Panama are failing to protect migrants crossing the jungle of the dangerous Darien Gap.

According to the human rights organization, more than half a million people have crossed this region by 2023. HRW denounces sexual violence, disappearances and deaths in the area, mainly against Venezuelans, Haitians and Ecuadorians, but also against people from Africa and Asia.

HRW assures that both countries are not respecting two covenants they have signed: the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and the American Convention on Human Rights (ACHR).

Author: Marina Vanni