New liquor tax proposal said aimed at Vice President

Panameñista Deputy Luis Eduardo Quirós said Friday, February that the bill to increase the tax on liquor is an example of the government trying to pass a law without proper scrutiny or debate.

The bill got first reading on Thursday February 7 but has sparked a debate  across party lines.

Quirós said that the law was presented in a hasty manner and has not been properly discussed. He said that the National Assembly's Economics and Finance Committee has not called the proper officials to discuss the bill.
Panameñista Legislator Adolfo Valderrama also criticized the bill, saying Minister of Economy and Finance Frank De Lima or Revenue Director Luis Cucalón should have been called to the commission to explain the issue.
PRD Deputy Yassir Purcait clarified that the bill was an individual initiative by his colleague, Raúl Pineda and not the party. He said that if he had wanted to try and introduce a bill with intended social consequences, he would have done so in a comprehensive way.
Purcait did not rule out that the project seeks to "persecute" opponents of the government.
Deputy José Luis Varela has accused President Ricardo Martinelli of being behind the project to hurt Vice President Juan Carlos Varela, whose family owns a liquor company.