Public hearings will be held by the Chamber of Deputies on Tuesday and Wednesday next week, to listen to opinions about the tax reform bill, the bills that make the Customs and Tax Departments autonomous, and the bill for Collection Efficiency, all submitted by the Executive Branch. Diario Libre reports that this was announced by Marino Collante, president of the Finance Committee of the Chamber of Deputies, who explained that two days were scheduled in view of the large number of requests received from different sectors of society. On Thursday, 6 October, the Deputies will hold a meeting with representatives of the Association of Commercial Banks at 10 am and with the National Association of Hotels and Restaurants (Asonahores) at 11 am. Last Tuesday, the government’s economic team explained the scope of the tax reform bill to the Deputies. Among other things, Technical Secretary Temistocles Montas warned lawmakers that the government cannot afford to have one penny reduced from next year’s estimated income because that would put the 2006 budget and the IMF agreement in danger. Meanwhile, PRD, the PRSC and the PRSD parties have reaffirmed that they would not approve a broader VAT (ITBIS) which the bill wants to apply to 200 products that are considered basic foodstuffs.