00:00On Tuesday, the Guatemalan Congress approved under the State of National Emergency Decree 21-2026,
00:05which establishes a temporary mechanism to curb fuel prices and alleviate the impact that high costs have on families' economies.
00:12The measure approved by a vote of 130 allocates 1.5 billion quetzales, approximately $324 million, to fund the subsidy.
00:21The mechanism establishes reference prices for a gallon of regular diesel and regular gasoline.
00:26The support will be activated, as agreed, when market prices exceed the amount set by the legislature.
00:32This approval followed meetings between congressmen and authorities from indigenous communities,
00:36who have insisted that rising fuel prices do not only affect those who own vehicles,
00:40but also lead to a higher cost of living for the population, especially for those who have historically been excluded.
00:51The problem with removing taxes is that it complicates certain programs run by the executive and the local authorities.
00:58And I believe it would be a more time-consuming process.
01:02I believe this decree is a good solution because the benefit is directly reflected at the pumps,
01:08and Guachemalans will have a fixed price for the fuel from the date it comes into effect until December 31st.
