Colombia on the fringes

@wwaycorrigan

[Listen to an audio version of this blog entry here.]

Colombian tax reform. Many have tried it — or at least given helpful suggestions — but few have had much lasting success. The mere utterance of the phrase sends some folk into a paroxysm.

In 2021, planned revenue reforms were a chief reason behind what resulted in months of public unrest. Over a year on and with a new president in place, finding ways to boost Colombia's coffers is back on the agenda.

Colombia on the fringes: Not a bad place to be in many aspects.

Fat tax
To be honest, and for reasons that will become clearer, I haven't paid too much attention to President Gustavo Petro's plans in this regard.

From what I do know, the somewhat controversial proposal to tax certain sugary drinks and ultra-processed foods is something that I largely agree with.

Ditto with disposable plastic products. Many Colombians seem incapable of shopping without putting practically every item into a separate plastic bag. Charging them for such a practice might just make them think twice.

That those earning more than ten million pesos (currently just over 2,255 euros) per month — only about two per cent of the population, apparently — will have to pay income tax is also welcome. I'm not, unsurprisingly, currently in that bracket.

Increased fuel taxes will most likely see travel become a little more expensive but I can shoulder that.

'It's not that the devil will be in the detail of proposals to come — Colombians tend to be byzantine in terms of details on paper.'

Looking at the other changes mentioned, I can't see much that will directly affect me adversely — unless I become ridiculously rich in the coming months. 

This would appear to be the same for ninety-eight per cent of Colombians, the mooted reforms mentioned above excepted. They do certainly love their gaseosas (fizzy drinks) here (for more on that see https://wwcorrigan.blogspot.com/2016/01/waging-sweet-war-for-healths-sake.html and https://blogs.eltiempo.com/wrong-way-corrigan/2014/01/31/colombias-battle-with-the-bulge/).

Of course, the Petro presidency may affect that ninety-eight per cent and me in other ways, not just financially, and for both good and bad. 

It's not that the devil will be in the detail of proposals to come — Colombians tend to be byzantine in terms of details on paper. It's how they're actually implemented for real. That'll be the key.

Pay to stay
Whatever the case, despite almost eleven years in the country, I feel somewhat outside the state's structures. Again, many Colombians — for better or for worse — could say the same but for very different reasons.

In my case, having a temporary visa status as a visitor (V type) is one reason for this "isolation". Yes, it allows me to engage in independent paid employment here but it doesn't put me on 'the road to residency', as the phrase goes.

It does, though, ensure I make an annual contribution to the state in the region of one million pesos. I won't have it said that I don't pay my way here. 

(Coming from a Nanny State pay-as-you-earn [PAYE] tradition, I find the idea of filing tax returns odd. Apparently, I'm a bit away from the threshold for payment anyway. In any case, pretty much all of my expenditure goes back into the Colombian economy. There are certainly no peso remittances being sent back to Ireland.)

In general, I'm largely indifferent to the country's politics. A presidential or Bogotá mayor election piques my interest but that's pretty much the height of it.

I cursorily check Colombian news but I rarely feel enthused to delve deeper into the comings and goings of events here. Most of my engagements with current affairs media these days are from UK sources.

So, outside of the perennial visa headache and bank dealings, my relationship with official Colombia is along the lines of, 'If you don't mingle much in my life, I won't mingle much in yours.'

Akin, it could be said, to the parting words Don Corleone gave to the Turkish drug dealer, Sollozzo, in The Godfather movie: 'Good luck to you, especially as your interests don't conflict with mine.' A risky analogy that, perhaps.

For the most part, I'd like to maintain this relative independence from the Colombian state. Let's not make each other any offers that we can't refuse. Well, we won't say "never" on that one.

But let's try not to over-complicate things, whatever might happen in the future.
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Listen to Wrong Way's Colombia Cast podcast here.

Facebook: Wrong Way Corrigan — The Blog & IQuiz "The Bogotá Pub Quiz".

No and behold

[Listen to an audio blog of this entry here.]
'Say "yes" and think of a way to do it after.' That was the advice of an Israeli acquaintance a few years back as doubts about my suitability held me back from committing to a project on which I'd been asked to collaborate.

A rare 'no' in Colombia. Do they mean it?

Years later, I can't even remember what the work was and whether I got involved or not — it clearly wasn't that life-changing — but it was the advice from my friend that stuck.

Know your limits

You see, at times I have — or certainly had, in any case — this tendency to think about all that could go wrong, to focus on my unsuitability for new tasks, rather than look to my existing skill set and see how I could adapt it to meet new challenges.

Other, perhaps even less-qualified people would just jump in without hesitation.

Both approaches do have their downsides. It is prudent to give some proper thought before committing. Yet the overly defensive, negative if you will, reaction is probably, in the majority of cases, the most damaging for the responder. Nothing ventured and all that.

Of course, there are times when you just know that what's on offer isn't for you. It might be a case that it's not the right time — 'not now, but not never' — or you're simply not interested. 

In these instances, a swift 'no' is the best course of action. All parties involved can then move on with no harm done (as long as, to paraphrase Don Corleone in The Godfather, the other's interests don't conflict with yours).

Saying no, however, appears to be a very hard word for many to utter (eh, sorry Sir Elton, but I wager it's even harder to say than 'sorry'!).

'The Dutch generally have no problem in giving a blunt "no" when needs be.'

Now, the natural course to take here for a foreigner living in Colombia is to highlight that the inability to say no is particularly acute in these parts. That might be so — I've frustratingly experienced it many times over — but I'm not sure if folk in my home country, Ireland, are much better on this, to name just one other nationality.

As I've written about oft-times before, I do notice some cultural similarities between Colombia and Ireland. Perhaps we can add to this the practice of saying yes when we really mean no. (In fairness, my own "weakness" on this is being non-committal, giving neither a yes nor a no.)

Yes means no

Others, such as the Dutch, generally have no problem in giving a blunt no when needs be. For those of us used to a more softly-softly approach, hearing such a response might seem rude. 

For the most part, however, it's the best way forward, clear and unequivocal. What's more, it doesn't need to be followed up by a raft of excuses or mitigating factors. As the old drug slogan went, 'just say no'. Full stop.

I must mention another aspect to this equivocalness: when somebody wants to keep all options open. It's understandable. 

Again, though, it's best to be upfront with those awaiting a response. For example, 'I can't commit right now, but in a month's time I may be in a position to do it.' At least it gives some clarity.

This is where Colombians — yes, I am generalising — tend to score badly. Many will give what seems like a definitive yes when their subsequent actions clearly show that this wasn't exactly what they had in mind. Time, energy and, at times, money is wasted in finally reaching this conclusion.

That Colombian yes is quite distinct from my Israeli friend's suggestion. His referred to a situation where there was an interest and an honest intention to do something, it just came with some doubts and fears. A case of 'give it a lash and see how it goes'.

If that's not where your mind is at, it's best to give a Dutch no — qualified if needs be — allowing us to get on with our respective businesses with little harm done or time wasted.
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Listen to Wrong Way's Colombia Cast podcast here.

Facebook: Wrong Way Corrigan — The Blog & IQuiz "The Bogotá Pub Quiz".

Back to old school

In some ways, this blog and writer follow a conservative path. In some ways, that is. There's an affinity with the old, straightforward way of doing things, finding comfort in a relatively uncomplicated life.

'Careful now, there aren't too many of those left.' (Photo: Pieter Hupkes.)

In this regard, for example, it's only recently I bit the bullet and bought a mediocre smartphone. This was, and more or less has been, strictly (the odd, failed Tinder use aside) for business reasons. At times, I wish I didn't have it. OK, it has led to an increase in efficiency in some aspects, yet it has also made it more difficult to 'switch off'; a matter of upping the technology discipline there, I guess.  

This low-key, unflashy lifestyle also expresses itself in the places I like to socialise in, as well as keeping up with new trends and general-interest things, especially in relation to cinema/TV and, you might even say fashion.

Now, while this conservative or what could be considered, very loosely, secular-ascetic way of living generally conjures up images of dullness and boredom, that's not always the case.

On the contrary, old school can be very much cool. For one, there's the old-school music (here I'm referring to 80s and 90s dance/pop classics – legendary stuff). You've The Godfather movie trilogy (well the first two at least), which you'll still do well to better in a host of ways.

There's also the timeless, traditional three-piece suit – always a winner.

And then you have the going-out-of-fashion barber, somebody I had the pleasure to reacquaint myself with here in Bogotá recently. No room for fancy Dan, hip, metrosexual (if not something else) stylists here. No, we're talking proper old school. An experienced hand, replete with all the time-hallowed tools of the trade – and the odd electric razor thrown in for good measure.

'A three on the back & sides.' 'That, I cannot do.' (Photo from Facebook.)

Plus, in line with that experience, barber knows best. So used to the in-and-out in minutes, 'number three on the back and sides, trim on top' job that I habitually get, I erroneously regurgitated this line to my new-found barber, Alfredo (the very able and affable assistant to the equally affable Mauricio).

 

He proceeded, with grace, to completely ignore me and do what he does best; cut men's hair with exceptional dedication and attention to detail. I sat in his rusting barber's chair for close to an hour as he seemed to practically examine and trim each hair on my head individually (decreasing in numbers as they are).

It was quite the relaxing, almost magical experience, well removed from the usual rapid-fire approach you get in most hairdressers and 'new-age' stylists. And all done for the very modest price of $5,000 COP, or less than two euros if you like.

I guess I better enjoy it while it lasts; guys like Alfredo are hard to find these days. Well, there's that as well as the fact that trips to get my hair cut may no longer be required in the near future; I've hit the other side of thirty now.

It wouldn't be going against some of my conservative characteristics to use a bit of Regaine to stem that tide, would it?