A Peruvian deputy has presented a bill, reported on 2 November, to push Sunat, the national tax agency, to chase its biggest unpaid bills. The move follows a 7 October 2026 hearing in which Sunat said taxpayers owe S/123.1 billion (about US$36 billion at roughly 3.41 soles per dollar), but can realistically collect about a tenth.
Investors who follow Peruvian mining, energy and bank bonds should care because uncollected tax limits the Treasury of a major copper and gold exporter. Disputes tie up cash that would otherwise reach the Treasury.
Peru: Tax Policy
Key Facts
- Debt. Sunat counts S/123.1 billion (about US$36 billion) owed, of which S/90.1 billion (about US$26 billion) is enforceable.
- Recovery. Sunat sees only S/11.9 billion (about US$3.5 billion) as realistically collectable.
- Disputes. About S/22 billion (about US$6.5 billion) is under appeal, mostly at the Tax Tribunal, an administrative appeals body.
- Bill. Deputy Ernesto Zunini of Peru’s Congress wants tracking and a national report on large debts, within 180 days of the implementing rules taking effect.
- Unknown. We found no committee schedule for the bill and no comment from the finance ministry.
Peru’s tax agency says most of its large unpaid bills are stuck in disputes, insolvency and time, and one deputy now wants Congress to force a faster, more visible clean-up.
What Happened
On Wednesday 7 October 2026, Sunat chief César Luna Victoria briefed the Economy Committee of the Chamber of Deputies, the lower house of Peru’s Congress. He said the agency’s total determined tax debt is S/123.1 billion (about US$36 billion), of which S/90.1 billion (about US$26 billion) is legally enforceable (Infobae Perú, 8 October).
He called the idea of having S/90 billion (about US$26 billion) to collect “una ficción”, a fiction, because the realistic figure is S/11.9 billion. Sunat also said about S/22 billion is in dispute: S/5.7 billion (about US$1.7 billion) at Sunat, S/11.4 billion (about US$3.3 billion) at the Tax Tribunal and about S/4.9 billion (about US$1.4 billion) in the courts.
Luna Victoria told deputies that “los costos de cobrar la deuda son enormes”, especially for small debts, and that debt grows “por inercia” as interest keeps accruing (Congress press office, 7 October). Deputies Gloria Hirache and Hilda Fernández de la Torre, both of the Good Government Party, asked for action against large debtors and for help to small firms.
Gabriel Gonzales of Together for Peru, a party in Congress, challenged the view that debtors’ funds vanish too fast to seize. On 8 October, state daily El Peruano listed Sunat’s plan: shorter litigation through electronic files, action on trusts, factoring and leasing, and special units against tax crime (El Peruano, 8 October).
What the Bill Proposes
Zunini, spokesman of the Together for Peru bench, presented a bill on “high fiscal impact” tax debts, reported on 2 November (Arequipa Mistipress, 2 November). It defines such debts by size, age, concentration and risk of going uncollected, and says they need stronger tracking.
Sunat would set up internal alerts for debts at risk and publish a first national report within 180 calendar days after the implementing rules take effect. The bill’s own background cites Sunat data from June 2024: about 1,200 debtors owing more than S/3.4 billion (about US$1 billion).
Why It Matters
The gap between what is owed and what is collectable is the story. Sunat’s own testimony says much of the stock is old, litigated or tied to insolvent firms, which a reporting law cannot change by itself.
The agency expects to collect about S/9.5 billion (about US$2.8 billion) from 2,700 operating taxpayers in 2027, a figure it has passed to the Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF) for revenue projections (Infobae Perú, 8 October). Peru’s fiscal accounts depend on such collections, so how much is realistic matters to bond buyers.
What Happens Next
The bill must be assigned to a committee and win a favourable report before reaching a floor vote. We found no dated checkpoint for either step.
More on this topic: Peru Growth May Fall to 2% If El Nino Lasts and Peru Flags 58 Mine Waste Sites for El Niño. For the wider picture, see our country coverage.
What It Means for You
If you hold Peruvian assets, watch for the first Sunat national debt report, if the bill passes, because it would show which large firms owe what. Business travellers and expats with Peruvian tax affairs see no change now.
What Is Not Known
We could not read the bill’s full text, so details beyond press summaries remain unverified. We found no MEF comment on it, and Minister Elmer Cuba skipped the 7 October hearing, with his ministry citing prior commitments.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much tax debt does Peru have?
Sunat told deputies on 7 October 2026 that taxpayers owe S/123.1 billion (about US$36 billion). It judges only S/11.9 billion (about US$3.5 billion) realistically recoverable.
What would the Zunini bill do?
As reported on 2 November, it would add tracking and early-warning tools for large tax debts. Sunat would publish a first national report within 180 days of the rules taking effect.
Is this a tax amnesty?
The bill reports we read describe tracking and transparency, not a write-off. We could not read the full text, so we cannot rule out other provisions.
Sources
Congress of Peru press office, 7 Oct 2026 · El Peruano, 8 Oct 2026 · Infobae Perú, 8 Oct 2026 · Arequipa Mistipress, 2 Nov 2026
Sources: Congress of Peru; Sunat figures as presented to the Economy Committee; US$ converted at about 3.41 soles per dollar (RT spot, 9 November 2026).
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