The representatives announced that they will take legal action or mobilization if their requests are not heeded.
Several transport representatives in Pichincha have expressed their rejection of the creation of a new tax on vehicle registration, that the Prefecture has announced that it will be for road rehabilitation and maintenance in rural parishes.
The lack of communication of the ordinance that will come into force this 2022 and the economic situation, hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, are the main reasons for the rejection by the unions.
The Provincial Ordinance 19_CPP-2019-2023 was approved on October 7, 2021. Edwin Herrera, Director of Roads of the Prefecture of Pichincha, pointed out that the communication team had prepared a campaign starting in mid-January. However, the information was not made public until January 24, when the media spread the news about the new payment.
This will be the values to pay:
| vehicle type | enrollment fee | Amount to be paid |
|---|---|---|
| Private vehicles (50%) | $ 36,00 | $ 18,00 |
| Public and commercial transport (50%) | $ 41,00 | $ 20,50 |
| Motorcycles (30%) | $ 31,00 | $ 9,30 |
| Sources: ANT and Pichincha Prefecture |
Carlos Brunis, president of the Union of Taxi Transport Cooperatives of Pichincha, said that they never made them known on the approval of this ordinance. “We are not against fixing the roads, nor are we questioning the issue of the competence that the Prefecture has to apply this rate. But here there was lack of respect and communication, they did not allow us to participate in this matter of public interest,” he asserted.
He also reported that will meet in the El Arbolito park, this Thursday 27 January, to go to the Prefecture with a document requesting the repeal of said ordinance. “We don’t want it to be suspended, we want it to be repealed,” Brunis pointed out.
Edgar Insuasti, manager of the Pichincha School Transport Consortium, pointed out that they reject the payment of the new rate. “This is another expense, apart from the lamentable state in which our guild is, we had a halfway reactivation and many companion vehicles have been withdrawn for not having to pay your credits with the banks. This will be a new benefit for the State from which not all of us are the beneficiaries”, he added.
Insuasti said that they hold constant meetings with the leaders to analyze a possible mobilization with the 6,500 units that are part of the school transportation guild in the Quito metropolitan district.
For Darius Paladins, president of the Ecuadorian Motorcyclists Association (Asomoto) and an activist in the automotive sector, the collection of this fee is abusive. “The vehicle park is extensive, they are too many items that charge a citizen, We already pay values such as the rate of the National Traffic Agency (ANT), filming tax, registration value, the Public Service for Payment of Traffic Accidents (Sppat) and the vehicle technical review, “he said.
He also criticized that this measure was not informed to the public, Well, he also found out through the media. “It seems like a political move, missing a year for the sectional elections”, he added.
Brunis agreed that they are too many items to pay. “Coworkers must pay operation service, patent, tenders, this apart from all the other charges for registration”, he emphasized.
The different unions reported that they will hold constant meetings to take more forceful actions if their requests are not met. (I)
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