The government of Abelardo de la Espriella begins a timed test to get the tax reform and fiscal adjustment law approved in Congress before the end of 2026in the middle of a political debate that is not resolved.
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And, in addition to the differences with the opposition, The Executive must seek agreements with sectors of his own coalition that have expressed objectionsespecially in the face of new taxes.
Filing of the tax reform and tax adjustment law. Photo:House of Representatives
The bet is not minor. This is one of the most ambitious tax reforms in recent times. Contains 105 articles, divided into five pillarswith measures related to collection, liquidity, public spending, social security and health.
The vice president José Manuel Restrepo defended the need for the initiative by warning that the Government seeks to avoid a further deterioration of public finances.
“The previous government left us a time bomb that would explode in 2027 unless we act (…) We present this law to save Colombia from bankruptcy, avoid the loss of 360,000 jobs and prevent a recession,” he said during the presentation of the project.
But the Executive will not only have to defend the content of the proposals. Also must ensure that the boards of directors and the economic commissions organize the calendar so that the debates take place, the articles are voted on and, if there are differences between the chambers, a conciliation is reached before the close of the legislature.
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How long Congress has to approve the projects?
The regular session of Congress ends December 16therefore, assuming that the dynamics of the Capitol are maintained (meeting two days a week), the Joint Economic Commissions they should discuss the project during the third and fourth week of November.
José Manuel Restrepo, vice president of the Republic. Photo:Sergio Cárdenas / X @Santibotero2026 / Composition EL TIEMPO
If you pass that stage, would go to the plenary sessions of the House of Representatives and the Senate, with the expectation that the debates take place between the end of November and the first half of December.
That schedule, however, depends on several conditions being met: that the project is published and distributed, that the speakers are appointed, that the paper is presented and that the commissions have time to discuss and vote on the articles.
The margin is even narrower if we take into account that a reform of this nature may generate modifications during the debate. If the plenary sessions of the House and Senate approve different texts, It will be necessary to form a conciliation commission and submit the unified text for consideration by both corporations.
If both chambers approve the same articles, this additional step is avoided. But if there are differences, the time available could become one of the main obstacles for the project to be approved before December 16.
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How many debates do you need and what changes with an emergency message?
As it is an initiative that includes tax provisions, the project must begin its process in the Chamber of Representatives. In the ordinary procedure, I would have to go through four debates: one in the Third and Fourth Commission of the Chamber, another in the plenary session of that corporation, a third in the economic commissions of the Senate and the last in the plenary session of the Senate.
An option to speed up the process by a couple of days It would be an urgent message for the project, but at the time of publishing this note the Government has not formally sent the request.
The regular session of Congress ends on December 16. Photo:César Melgarejo. THE TIME
A possible explanation for why this did not happen is that The Government first seeks to organize the agreements politicians and technicians around the articles, before accelerating its discussion.
For now, the position of some sectors of the Democratic Center will be one of the factors that the Government must take into account, since that is the largest pro-government party and its votes could define the result.
The former president Álvaro Uribe has expressed objections against the creation of new taxes and has asked that the bench study the project before establishing a definitive position.
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“We have always said that the Colombian businessman is suffocated by taxes. The Colombian consumer is suffocated by taxes. It is a very difficult situation,” said Uribe on the ‘Los Cuchos’ podcast.
The senator Carlos Meisel, for his part, told EL TIEMPO that his party is willing to listen to the Government’s explanations “without putting a brake on any proposal beforehand. But they cannot ask us for that without telling us how the plan is developed,” he stated.
Carlos Manuel Meisel, senator of the Republic. Photo:Carlos Manuel Meisel Press.
For Gonzalo Araujo, director of the strategic communications agency SONAR, The project will surely have modifications during its discussion in Congress. For this reason, he considers that the Government must prepare to negotiate on a text that is not yet definitive.
The expert also warned that health-related issues and increases in prepaid medicine plans could become some of the most complex points of the debate.
What’s happening if the project is not approved in Congress before December 16?
If the project does not complete its process before the end of the regular period of sessions, it is not necessarily archived. Article 162 of the Constitution establishes that initiatives that have not completed their journey in a legislature, but that have received their first debate in one of the chambers, They can continue their process in the next legislaturewhich begins on March 16, 2027, in the state in which they are located.
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Another possibility It would be for the Executive to convene Congress to extraordinary sessions to discuss specific issues.
The scenario of an approval in 2026, therefore, It will depend on “that Congress walks like clockwork”according to Araujo, and, above all, the ability of the Executive to build agreements.
Laura Juliana Castellanos Guevara – Political Editorial – EL TIEMPO
Tax reform and Tax Rescue Law. Photo:
