Guatemalans have already paid tax on their 1995 incomes, and according to the Constitution, taxing Guatemalans twice on the same income is illegal. Others say the tax does not get to the root of the government's revenue problem. The International Monetary fund estimates that tax evasion in Guatemala runs at nearly 50 percent. But a bill presented to Congress May 16 by Finance Minister Alejandro Arevalo may calm these critics. Last year, Guatemala's business elite successfully derailed Guatemala's first attempt to legislate prison terms for tax evasion.
State hospitals are at a crisis point, according to authorities.
And state health care workers say privatization would reduce health care for the most needy even further. Public Health Minister Marco Tulio Sosa said May 17 that Roosevelt Public Hospital, one of the most visited in Guatemala City, has had no budget for maintenance or updating of equipment since 1988. And hospital director Jorge Alejandro Villavicenio said May 19 the hospital infrastructure is practically in ruin. The union asked Congress to pass laws that benefit the majority, and the health minister to resign. Refugees Fed Up With Government Stalling Guatemala City, May 14.