Colombians buying more computers
Sells of computers rose to 80% in 2007
By Albeiro Rodas | Picture by Clara Campoamor.
Colombians are buying more computers, according to the statistics of the Ministry of Communications, Mrs Maria del Rosario Guerra in her annual report.
Sellings of computers and Internet services rose to 80% during 2007 and the numbers are a result of a new tax policy to technological equipment in Colombia given by Law 1111 of 27th December 2006.
The 2006 law canceled what is called in Colombia “IVA” (Valued Added Tax) that used to make computers expensive and unreachable for the common Colombian pocket. The measure applied for computers with costs inferior to US$ 900. As a consequence. many Colombian families, companies, schools and other organizations could afford to get a computer and get access to Internet during 2007.
Mrs Guerra said also that the stability of the Dollar against the Colombian Peso was also another factor to hold the prices and made computers more popular, but the percent does not reach yet the 100% of the Colombian families. It is needed another tax reform to make even more reachable technologies to the common of the people. Such legal measures would stop the global problem of illegal distribution of Softwares and facilitad to the people the access to education through the use of technologies.
Colombia, that is the third world Spanish-speaking nation after Mexico and Spain, still inferior in access to Internet. Computers are popular in the big cities like Bogotá, Medellín, Bucaramanga, Ibagué and Cali, among others, but still considered a luxury for popular sectors of the cities and rural areas.
