BRIEFS. politics

Rodman deal scrutinzed by opposition

Opposition members were critical of a port deal for the former Rodman Naval Base that was introduced yesterday in the Asamblea Nacional.

Panameñistas party members Osman Gómez and Luis Barría said the deal being granted to the consortium PSA Panamá International Terminal, S.A., is laden with tax breaks.

Gómez said that deal will cost the government $21 million in lost tax revenue while it will only gain $3 million from the concession, which will be for 20 years.

However, the deputy minister of Comercio, Manuel José Paredes, rejected this claim and said that the contract with the Panamanian-Singaporean consortium is the same that the government has signed with other port operators. "We have not given a special deal to anybody," José Paredes said.

Instead of a fixed tax rate, the deal calls for tarrifs to be paid on the amount of cargo that moves through the port.

The project is expected to create 150 jobs and handle 450,000 containers annually, government officials said.