The head of the Special Commission tasked with proposing reforms to the IESS pension system discusses the needed contributions of the State, affiliates and employers. The time to make the reforms required to give sustainability to the pension system of the Ecuadorian...
Lasso decrees reductions of VAT, ICE and ISD taxes
What changes were decreed by the President and how will they be applied? This year will bring reductions for some taxes in Ecuador. On the night of January 10, 2023, President Guillermo Lasso announced that the Value Added Tax (VAT) will be reduced on three holidays,...
Minister of Finance talks bonds for the Galapagos, tax reductions and the IMF and Petroecuador
The Minister of Finance, Pablo Arosemena, confirmed that the State will issue blue bonds in 2023. The operation will allow the expansion of the Galapagos marine reserve. According to the Minister of Finance, Pablo Arosemena, the Government will follow thru this year on its promise to issue blue bonds to finance the expansion of the […]
Remittances from abroad contribute more to Ecuador’s economy than tourism
Remittances are a liquidity option for Ecuadorian households, which use these resources to pay for basic services. The remittances that Ecuador receives from citizens working abroad totaled $4.468 billion in 2022, according to the forecast of the World Bank. This represents 3.87% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). This figure is higher than tourism, which […]
Birth of sea turtles increases 30% on Manabí beach
Update to: More than 9,000 olive ridley sea turtles born in Esmeraldas Published: Volume 5, Issue 16 Park rangers from a refuge in Manabí reported the birth of 11,580 sea turtles of the “olive ridley” and “green” species on the beach of San Lorenzo. The Ecuadorian Ministry of the Environment announced that it has detected […]
Seven Ecuadorians trying to illegally enter the US have disappeared in Mexico
The young people left for the United States in mid-2022 and their families have not heard from them. They paid ransoms to alleged kidnappers. Among the dangers faced by Ecuadorian emigrants on their journey to the United States are various criminal groups operating in...
Thankfully, the three colors are nice
On our drive back from Cuenca this week, it became clear to my wife and I that elections were coming up in February. Not because we read about them. Or because we knew when elections occur (like we do in the US). It was because of all the posters, banners, signs and other advertising that […]
Three major Azuay highway projects planned for 2023
State planning for this year includes the rehabilitation of two roads that connect Azuay with the country, and a public-private alliance that is being sought to build a new Cuenca-Guayaquil highway. Authorities and unions of Azuay hope that at least three of the road projects that are pending in the province will be completed this […]
Two Ecuadorian researchers participate in worldwide study on the impact of grazing on the environment
Carlos Espinosa and Elizabeth Gusmán were part of a team of hundreds of researchers that determined the negative impact of grazing in drylands. The results of the study were published in the journal Science. For the first time, hundreds of scientists evaluated the impact of grazing in arid and semi-arid areas of the planet. Two […]
Violent start to the year in the provinces that are on the ‘drug route’
In the first 10 days of the year, there were 162 violent deaths in Ecuador, of which 80% were registered in just five provinces on the Coast. Firearms were involved in 86% of the cases. The year began with an alarming increase in violent deaths in Ecuador and,...
Rains remove risk of blackouts, but dry season has not been overcome
Update to: Cuenca experiences unusual weather and prolonged drought Published: Volume 7, Issue 14 With the recent rains, the scenario improved, but the dry season has not yet been overcome. The plan to recover thermoelectric plants continues. There is a recovery of rains in the eastern basin of Ecuador, which has made it possible to […]