Draft tax bill ‘threatens press freedom’
Monday, June 6, 2016
Draft tax bill ‘threatens press freedom’
Journalists in Argentina could be sentenced with up to two years in prison if they reveal protected information identifying those who sign up for the new tax amnesty programme, according to the fine print of the government-sponsored bill.
The draft introduced last week by the Let’s Change (Cambiemos) administration establishes that the government could prosecute and impose a fine on any person “revealing or publishing documents or information in any way related to voluntary affidavits.”
With this broad anti-leak move, the national government wants to encourage more individuals to participate in the tax amnesty plan. But experts say that part of the legislation is unconstitutional.
The draft bill “is worrisome from the point of view of freedom of expression, particularly when intertwined with the constitutional right to freedom of expression,” said media specialist Martín Becerra, a professor at the universities of Buenos Aires (UBA) and Quilmes (UNQ). “It criminalizes the divulging of information that could be of public interest.”
More:
http://buenosairesherald.com/article/215632/draft-tax-bill-‘threatens-press-freedom’
LBN:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10141477670
