-
The IMF has recommended an austerity plan for Bolivia, which is running a fiscal deficit, financed by Bolivia's Central Bank. correodelsur.com/economia/20220915_fmi-recomienda-a-bolivia-eliminar-el-aguinaldo-para-funcionarios-y-reducir-la-informalidad-y-subsidios.html
-
Some obvious alternatives: wealth or income taxes (promised during Arce's 2020 campaign), taking a greater share of gas revenue (essentially abandoned by 2013), decarbonizing domestic energy while maintaining exports, taxing cooperative mining.
-
There are political stalemates around almost all of these proposals from ending fuel subsidies (stopped by left protest in December 2010) to cracking down money laundering (stopped by right protest in November 2021).
-
The Bolivian government has responded with a flat NO to the IMF: "We will not accept that type of recommendations because we are a sovereign country and we have a sovereign economic policy." correodelalba.org/2022/09/16/gobierno-boliviano-le-responde-a-fondo-monetario-internacional-bolivia-es-soberana-y-no-aceptara-sus-viejas-recetas-economicas/
-
"Nosotros consideramos que ese tipo de recomendaciones no las vamos a aceptar, porque somos un país soberano y tenemos una política económica soberana."
-
It's worth noting that the Arce government takes its macroeconomic output very seriously, treats economic growth as a central goal, and advertises praise for "the Bolivian miracle" from global financial institutions on billboards in the central square.


