Alvaro Noboa: Stop Political Persecution



They want to charge Bananera Noboa $90 million dollars in taxes for 2005, while, according to the attached chart, larger companies than Bananera Noboa, such as Chiquita, Dole, del Monte, have been taxed, on average, $250,000 with profits of around more than one million dollars each.

BANANA EXPORTERS

BUSINESS NAME TAX GENERATED FISCAL YEAR 2005
1 UBESA – DOLE. 700,136.37
2 EXPORTADORA BANANERA NOBOA S.A.  – BONITA 259,218.39
3 KIMTECH S.A. – LE FRUIT 51,143.66
4 BRUNDICORPI S.A. – CHIQUITA 39,500.20
5 NELFRANCE EXPORT S.A. – SABROSTAR 32,276.54
6 BANAFRESH S.A. – DON CARLOS 24,745.96
7 REYBANPAC REY BANANO DEL PACÍFICO C. A. – FAVORITA 14,219.11
8 BANDECUA – DEL MONTE 11,748.13
9 FRUTA RICA – GOLDEN B 3,547.55
10 ISBELNI S.A. – GOLDEN FORCE 851.53
11 BANANA EXCHANGE – PRIMADONA 715.80
12 JFC – BONANZA
13 FORZAFRUIT S.A. – FORZA
14 EXCELBAN – EXCELBAN

I’m not in favor of making them pay more than they have been taxed, but neither am I in favor of Bananera Noboa being charged 360 times more taxes than its competitors when we have similar export volumes. Bananera Noboa IS UNABLE TO PAY THAT AMOUNT WITHOUT GOING BANKRUPT, because, today, its equity, its assets are less than $5 million dollars. This means, then, that if it pays the 2005 taxes, the business will be declared bankrupt. A company founded more than 50 years ago, and that has been employing hundreds of thousands of people throughout the years.

I am one of the highest taxpaying Ecuadorians, and I am an honorable man who has worked all his life, whose only sin, in the eyes of the authorities, has been the wish to change Ecuador. This has been my dream, this has been my hope and this is what I have been striving for all my life. I have longed to change Ecuador and make it a better Ecuador. That is why I ran for president of the republic. Today, my love for Ecuadorians has been considered a sin, the punishment for which is political persecution and Bananera Noboa’s bankruptcy.

Instead of persecuting individuals like myself, who give jobs and whose sin has been to love Ecuador, they should go after the many criminals and corrupt individuals scattered throughout the country who do so much damage to Ecuadorians.
Legal representatives from Bananera Noboa have informed me that the company is willing to pay its taxes, as it has always been doing regularly. Bananera Noboa wants to pay iits taxes in strict conformity with Ecuadorian’s law and justice, just as their competitors (Chiquita, Dole and Del Monte) do.

I am acquainted with the fact that Bananera Noboa has asked the National Court of Justice to allow it to to litigate in order to show all Ecuadorians the wrongs being inflicted by the IRS against it.

According to the Constitution, all Ecuadorians have the right to a defense and the right of justice, and so does Bananera Noboa.
God bless you all, Ecuadorians. Thank you very much.