Venezuela's Rodríguez government cuts special taxpayers by two-thirds, from 132,000 to 44,000; suspends cash register requirement

CARACAS, VENEZUELA

Venezuelan President Delcy Rodríguez announced in Caracas on the 21st (local time) the immediate suspension of the mandatory use of tax-certified cash registers (máquina fiscal). Rodríguez made the announcement in an address after a meeting attended by Román Maniglia, head of the National Integrated Service for Customs and Tax Administration (SENIAT), and Anabel Pereira, vice president for administration and digital government. The special taxpayer list was cut from 132,000 to 44,000. A digital platform linking the tax agency's network with commercial banks, the Central Bank of Venezuela (BCV), the identity and immigration agency (Saime) and the registry and notary agency (Saren) also went into operation. Venezuela's Ministry of Communication and Information (MIPPCI) announced that the measures are "de aplicación inmediata" (of immediate application).

Rodríguez declares cash register requirement suspended "from this moment"

In her address, Rodríguez said, "Suspendo, a partir de este momento, la obligatoriedad de la máquina fiscal" (I suspend, from this moment, the requirement of the cash register). The state radio station RNV, run by the government, reported the remark.

The communication ministry cited the suspension of mandatory cash register use and the restructuring of the special taxpayer list as decisions with a major impact on the productive sector. The ministry explained that the measures are intended to simplify procedures, increase tax justice (justicia tributaria) and remove barriers that kept shops and small entrepreneurs from entering the formal system.

Maniglia made the same argument. According to state television VTV, Maniglia said eliminating the cash register requirement removes a barrier that had blocked businesses from entering the formal system. Maniglia said the measure aims to bring small and medium-sized merchants into a new tax culture.

The announcement did not specify the sectors or business sizes covered, the duration of the suspension, or the number of an Official Gazette (Gaceta Oficial) publication or SENIAT administrative order (providencia) that would serve as the legal basis.

Special taxpayers cut from 132,000 to 44,000

The special taxpayer list was cut to one-third of its size. The communication ministry announced that the official list had been reduced from 132,000 to 44,000 "usuarios categorizados" (categorized users). VTV reported that as a result of a "sincera" (honest) categorization of the special taxpayer list, the number of economic entities, which had exceeded 132,000, fell sharply to 44,000.

RNV reported that the review was an exercise to "incorporar a quienes cumplen con los criterios establecidos y excluir a quienes no corresponden" (incorporate those who meet the established criteria and exclude those who do not belong).

Rodríguez pointed to the small number of taxpayers as a problem. Rodríguez said, "Hemos estado conversando sobre los números muy bajos de quienes pagan impuestos en el país" (We have been discussing the very low numbers of those who pay taxes in the country). She went on to say, "es un tema de justicia que todo lo que se recaude sea para el pueblo venezolano" (it is a matter of justice that everything collected be for the Venezuelan people).

SENIAT network linked to banks, central bank, identity agency and registry

Rodríguez said SENIAT now has a technology system connected to commercial banks, the central bank, the identity and immigration agency and the registry and notary agency. Rodríguez said, "Tenemos un cruce muy importante de información que, integrado a un nuevo sistema," (We have a very important cross-referencing of information that, integrated into a new system,) "va a permitir empezar a cobrar lo que se debe cobrar en el país" (will make it possible to begin collecting what must be collected in the country).

The communication ministry explained that the platform includes a new statistical model for handling public information. The ministry said the model is used to turn national revenue into direct social investment.

The linking work has been disclosed in a series of steps this month. According to the communication ministry, SENIAT has strengthened its connections with the banking supervisor (Sudeban), the registry and notary agency and the standards, quality and metrology agency (Sencamer), and plans to partner with the National Land Transport Institute (INTT) as well. Maniglia outlined these technology modernization plans to the business community in a speech at the 82nd annual assembly of the Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Production of Venezuela (Fedecámaras). Maniglia said, "Aquí está el Seniat liderando esa transformación digital" (Here is Seniat leading that digital transformation).

On the 16th, SENIAT held a working meeting with the Venezuelan Chamber of Shopping Centers (Cavececo). According to the communication ministry, the meeting was to adapt SENIAT's digital tax model, "MODA Seniat" (modernization, digitalization, automation), to the operation of shopping centers nationwide. The ministry said the work followed Rodríguez's instruction to build a new tax culture in the country. The two sides exchanged experiences in increasing collections and bringing commercial activity into the formal system. At the meeting, SENIAT reviewed the chamber's proposals on improving public management, broadening the taxpayer base and reducing tax evasion.

Government says October revenue rose 27%, exceeding target

Rodríguez said tax revenue had risen 27% and that the target for October had already been exceeded that month. RNV and VTV reported the remarks. VTV reported the 27% increase as a figure for the month of October and wrote that it exceeded the "metas proyectadas para el período" (targets projected for the period).

SENIAT had earlier released figures for September. According to VTV, SENIAT's September collections were 1.003772 trillion bolívars, or $1.19801 billion. That was up 37.6% from September last year and 13% from August this year. Internal taxes were 679.123 billion bolívars ($810.54 million), up 34.6%, and customs duties were 306.452 billion bolívars (more than $365 million), up more than 46%. The tax on large financial transactions (IGTF) was 18.197 billion bolívars, up 20.93%.

Of the September results, Maniglia said, "entre tributos internos, aduanas e IGTF, sumamos lo equivalente a casi mil doscientos millones de dólares" (between internal taxes, customs and IGTF, we collected the equivalent of almost one billion two hundred million dollars). Posting the September results on his X account, Maniglia cited SENIAT's modernization, digitalization and automation program and Rodríguez's guidelines as the reasons for the results. According to VTV, Maniglia championed "un Estado ágil, transparente y eficiente" (an agile, transparent and efficient state) in the post.

Tal como nos ha orientado nuestra presidenta @delcyrodriguezv, en la visión de un Estado ágil, transparente y eficiente, informo que al cierre de septiembre 2026 la recaudación del @seniat_oficial se incrementa en un 37,6% con respecto al mismo mes de 2025 y un 13% más de lo… pic.twitter.com/c6dMXYUQmJ

— Román Maniglia (@romanmanigliave) October 2, 2026

Added revenue to go to "Venezuela Renace" plan

The government said it would spend all of the revenue increase on social programs. According to the communication ministry, Pereira and Maniglia explained that each measure came out of a detailed analysis of the economic system. The two said the additional revenue generated by expanded collection would go entirely (de manera íntegra) to the "Venezuela Renace" (Venezuela Reborn) plan.

The communication ministry listed the plan's priorities as housing construction, the rental market, the supply of credit and strengthening public health and education nationwide. RNV reported that the funds will also be used for housing construction, purchase, rental and repair, as well as "créditos para las familias afectadas por los sismos del 24 de junio" (loans for families affected by the June 24 earthquakes).

Rodríguez said, "Son todas medidas que nos van a permitir que el ciudadano tenga mejores medidas del sector tributario, mejor recaudación" (These are all measures that will allow the citizen to have better measures from the tax sector, better collection). Rodríguez said, "Sigamos juntos por este camino de la digitalización y la modernización para ser más eficientes en la gestión gubernamental" (Let us continue together on this path of digitalization and modernization to be more efficient in government management).