El Ciudadano
Original article: Para el CAE sí hay mano dura: PS denuncia vaciamiento de cuentas mientras el Gobierno cuida el secreto bancario
Amid the controversy surrounding the debt collections associated with the State-Backed Loan Program (CAE), the Socialist Party (PS) has denounced that while the General Treasury of the Republic (TGR), following instructions from the Ministry of Finance, has drained bank accounts of hundreds of borrowers immediately after they received their salaries, the government of José Antonio Kast remains resistant to advancing measures, such as lifting bank secrecy, to investigate large-scale economic crimes.
The TGR is enforcing seizures against CAE debtors who have not settled their debts after being notified. According to the institution itself, this operation, initiated under orders from Finance Minister Jorge Quiroz, has already been implemented in the regions of Antofagasta, La Araucanía, and Los Lagos, and will expand to the rest of the country in the coming days. The affected accounts include not only checking accounts but also savings accounts, creating a wave of desperation among debtors, whose testimonies are rapidly spreading on social media.
In a public statement, the PS expressed its «concern and rejection» of these actions, stating that while financial obligations must be met and debts repaid, «this cannot be done at the expense of violating the basic conditions for the survival of individuals and their families.»
«No state collection policy can disregard elementary principles of dignity, proportionality, and social justice,» they indicated.
«The State Cannot Become an Expropriation Agent that Deepens Precariousness»
The statement highlighted a paradox they find unsustainable, as the same administration that applies harsh measures against workers indebted for their university studies shows strong resistance to advancing tools like lifting bank secrecy to combat multi-million dollar fraud or collusions that have affected millions of citizens.
«It is particularly concerning how severely actions are taken against workers facing economic difficulties while, in other areas, there is resistance to advancing fundamental tools to combat large-scale economic crimes, such as lifting bank secrecy, or silence regarding serious cases of collusion that harmed millions of Chileans, such as those seen in pharmacy and chicken production markets,» they stated.
«The state cannot become an expropriation agent that deepens the precariousness of those already facing complex economic situations,» they concluded.
Given this scenario, they called on the Kast government and the relevant authorities to review the measures implemented to safeguard essential incomes for families and move towards fair and definitive solutions for those with CAE-related debts, consistent with current legal standards and with what the Supreme Court has pronounced regarding TGR’s actions.
Socialist Deputy Juan Santana, a member of the Education Commission, condemned the draining of bank accounts from debtors, stating that «using the hardest tool of the state against someone who went into debt to study is disproportionate.»
According to the legislator, it is «difficult to understand» the decision of the Kast administration, which simultaneously promotes a mega economic-tax reform that lowers taxes for large companies from 27% to 23% and reduces tax collection by hundreds of millions of dollars.
«The CAE was a flawed system from the start, and the solution was never to drain people’s accounts,» he stated in comments reported by El Mostrador.
La entrada Socialist Party Condemns Heavy-Handed Practices Against CAE Debtors as Government Protects Bank Secrecy se publicó primero en El Ciudadano.
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