Havana, Cuba.- Latin America is undergoing a process of re-impoverishment resulting not only from economic factors, but also from social policy cuts, asserted Frei Betto in an article published on the Cubadebate website.

According to the Brazilian intellectual, author of about 60 books on various topics, this reality is especially notable in countries where parliamentary coups have occurred, such as Honduras, Paraguay and Brazil, and in those that in recent years have been governed by neoliberal presidents, such as Argentina and Chile.

The continent, with 638 million inhabitants, is today the most unequal region in the world. After a decade of reducing poverty and inequality, the rates are once again worrying, due to tax evasion and cuts in social programs, he said.

In his article, Betto recalls that in 2002, 44.5 percent of Latin Americans lived in poverty, 11.2 percent in misery, and today 30 percent of the continent’s population — 210 million people — live in poverty and misery.

Since 2014, Latin America has experienced a sharp fall in its share of world trade, as well as a relative reduction in the price of the main South American products.

Some countries are leading the increase in inequality in the area: Venezuela, by far, due to an unprecedented economic recession, and also Brazil and Argentina.

The region, he said, has yet to find its sustainable development model. All countries continue to depend on their exports, subject to the interests of the metropolitan nations and to market fluctuations.

In Betto’s opinion, Latin America will not have a future as long as it does not achieve fiscal justice, that is, progressive tax (‘the more you earn, the more you pay’), reduction of corruption and increased spending on social policies.