After months of development and adjustments in the new system of production of vehicles for vehicles, the National Steel Engravings Workshop (TNGA) and the Superintendence of Tax Administration (SAT) have not yet provided specific details about the progress of the project and the real costs.
In January 2024, the SAT announced a change in the plaque preparation model, arguing difficulties with foreign suppliers that did not meet the delivery terms. The solution raised was to produce the plates in Guatemala with polystyrene, a thermoplastic polymer known for its rigidity and ease of molding, instead of traditional metal.
The customer service mayor of the SAT, Armando Pokus, explained at the beginning of 2025 that since 2018 the entity has faced problems of supply of plates and that the search for suppliers has been a constant challenge. As an alternative, the authorities decided to experiment with new materials, ensuring that the cost of production would be lower than that of metal plates. To put it in context, in the last award of 2021, the motorcycle plates cost Q24.50 and those of Q69 vehicles.
The SAT calculated that in January 2025 the TNGA would produce 75 thousand 388 plates for vehicles and 31 thousand 25 for motorcycles. However, to date no official figures have been confirmed on how many or the exact cost of the new manufacturing model have been delivered.
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Lack of transparency and information delays
On January 20, 2025, Free press He spoke with Eddie Fernández, director of the TNGA, to learn about details about the production and distribution of the plates. However, days later, the entity indicated that all the information should be requested through the Department of Social Communication of the Ministry of Public Finance.
Since then, multiple information requests have been made without obtaining concrete answers. It was until the beginning of March when the director of Social Communication of Finance explained that the TNGA “were still working on information on the process and costs of the new polystyrene plates.”
In January, the SAT said that in March three quotes would be published for the purchase of raw material that would supply the necessary supplies for the next three years. In addition, they assured that the new system would allow:
- Speed up production and avoid problems with foreign suppliers.
- Boost the local economygenerating employment in Guatemala.
- Increase production capacityguaranteeing the supply of plates.