Internal Revenue Service workers begin national strike today

SANTIAGO.- Employees of the Chilean Internal Revenue Service (SII) have begun a national strike today.

The demonstration follows the announcement made by the Ministry of Finance indicating that the modernization process for the SII would be halted.

A group of SII employees are currently protesting outside the office located in downtown Santiago, wielding signs that read “Minister Velasco defends the rich”.

“Tax reform is at risk if this project does not move forward”, stated Carlos Insunza of the Chilean Association of Internal Tax Officials (Aneiich).  Insunza added that “starting Wednesday, procedures will resume as normal”.

The associations of employees and auditors for the SII are demanding the resignation of the National Director for the SII, Ricardo Escobar, “due to the obvious lack of compliance with promises that were made to workers and the failure of the planned modernization project”.