Cochabamba lawyer José Carlos Sánchez Verazaín prepared a proposal for municipal governments to collect taxes from electricity, internet, telephone and other service companies that maintain their cables in public air spaces, often generating tangles of cables.
The first objective – he indicates – is that the mayors obtain direct resources within the framework of their autonomous competences. The second -he adds- contributes to the zero cable. He carried out a study and established that many of the conductors that hang from poles disfiguring the streets and generating danger are out of use.
He clarifies that the proposal does not imply that the companies that use the cables raise the rates of their services.
For a few weeks, Sánchez Verazaín, who was a candidate for Governor of Cochabamba in 2021, has been carrying his idea through different municipalities in Bolivia. He has already generated debate between authorities and neighbors. Initiatives of Page Seven spoke with him:
You have a citizen proposal, what is it about?
I am part of Moving Bolivia, a group of professionals and neighbors who meet to propose constructive ideas that benefit the population. I participated in the elections for the Government of Cochabamba in 2021 and prepared a government plan that aimed to support companies and vulnerable sectors from the Government level.
I liked this type of work because I have children, I hope to have grandchildren one day, and I want a better Bolivia for them. This is how we formed Moving Bolivia, which seeks to demonstrate that it is not necessary to be in an electoral campaign to make proposals.
And one of the proposals is a municipal law, with its respective regulations, to collect taxes from companies that use cables. They all make a profit and use that public space for free. There are millions of Bolivians that the mayor’s offices are failing to receive.
The proposal is protected by article 302 of the Political Constitution of the State, which determines the powers of the municipalities, and Law 482 of municipal powers over the aerial territory, through which the public lighting cables and others pass.
I want to point out that a debate was sparked on social networks and the media around a concern: whether the proposal will bring an increase in the rates of the services that go through those cables. The answer is no, because the rates of the companies that have the wiring are regulated by the central government; therefore, they could not modify their rates for the final consumer.
The ordinary citizen would not be affected, but their own income would be generated for the municipalities. They are resources that can be used immediately and directly to defend women, for example, or to improve citizen security or pave streets.
How is the public responding so far?
At first, doubts arose as to whether such a tax would affect rates, but the majority like the proposal and value it more than criticize it. A debate was opened on social networks and the media.
What city halls were you in?
Warnes, Montero, Cotoca, from Santa Cruz. I was in the city of El Alto. I started in the Cochabamba Mayor’s Office because I was born there. They gave me a public hearing and I presented the proposal. It was very well received by the councillors. They commented that they have been searching for the zero cable for 10 years and that it seems innovative to them to try to collect a tribute in case that objective is not achieved. The proposal could be part of the preliminary projects that are analyzed and it is likely that Mayor Manfred Reyes Villa will consider it. I also met with the Mayor of Trinidad and some councillors. They were interested in the proposal and indicated that they will begin to write a draft.
In peace?
I haven’t had the hearing yet. I am waiting for them to contact me. In any case, it is already a public proposal, it is not necessary for me to explain it personally.
Did you do any studies on the cables?
Yes. All of Bolivia is covered with cables, that is why the proposal is national. The worst of all is that there are a large number of cables that are not used, that are lying around, affecting the tree planting, for example. Many times trees have to be cut to respect those cables without benefit.
In La Paz, Cochabamba and Santa Cruz there are huge tangles of cables that disfigure the streets and are a danger.
What international experiences did you see?
China achieved wire zero. They communicate by waves and the cables are underground. In South America we have Chile and Brazil with underground cables.
Aerial wiring is a general problem in Latin America and in Bolivia it must be addressed, because if nobody says anything, we will remain static, we will not advance in technology, environmental protection, nor will we agree on regulations.
A curious detail: if you opt for the cables under the ground, the municipalities lose competence to collect taxes, because the subsoil is the responsibility of the central government. There we would have another proposal for the central level.
What do the companies say? do you think they agree?
I don’t know, but it may be that some who are interested in continuing to use public space without paying are opposed, but this type of regulation is necessary for the population.
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