A Conversation with Alberto Carrasquilla, Colombia’s Minister of Finance and Public Credit

Colombia’s Minister of Finance and Public Credit, Alberto Carrasquilla, will address the Duque administration’s economic policy and investment priorities for the next four years, as laid out in the Plan de Desarrollo (Development Plan) currently being debated by the Colombian Congress. Early in his tenure, Minister Carrasquilla proposed a tax reform to address the growing fiscal deficit, exacerbated by the cost of addressing the massive flows of Venezuelan migrants into Colombia. After contentious debates, Colombia’s Congress approved a diluted tax bill that halved the original revenue target.   

With economic growth predicted to be over 3 percent, Colombia’s economic outlook is healthy for 2019. However, given the growing demands on government spending, will Colombia be able to comply with the fiscal rule? What changes should we expect as the Plan de Desarrollo makes its way through Congress? How is Colombia preparing for possible shocks to commodity prices and a slowdown in trade?

Minister Carrasquilla will address these and other issues during an open conversation about Colombia’s economic outlook and the challenges for the Duque administration in the coming years.

Follow this event on Twitter at #ColombiaEconomía and @The_Dialogue.

Opening Remarks:

Michael Shifter

President, Inter-American Dialogue (@MichaelShifter) 

Speakers:

Alberto Carrasquilla

Minister of Finance and Public Credit, Colombia

Moderator:

Cynthia J. Arnson

Director Latin America Program, Wilson Center