On Tuesday afternoon (12.12.2023), the Minister of Economy, Luis Caputo, announced the first economic measures that the National Government will take.
The following are the management guidelines:
- Employment contracts are not renewed of the State that have been in force for less than a year. The Minister of Economy stressed that a common practice in politics is to incorporate relatives and friends before the end of a government mandate.
- It is decreed the suspension of official guidelines for one year to the media. According to Caputo, during 2023, between the Presidency and the ministries, $34.000 billion were spent on advertising. “There is no money for expenses that are not strictly necessary, and much less, to support with taxpayers' money media that are created only to praise the virtues of the governments in power,” he said.
- Se reduce Ministries, from 18 to 9, and secretariats, from 106 to 54According to the minister, this will result in a reduction of more than 50% of senior positions and 34% of total political positions in the national State.
- Discretionary transfers from the National State to the provinces will be reduced to a minimum. "Resources that, unfortunately, in our recent history have been used as bargaining chips to exchange political favors," said the minister.
- Cuts in public works. The National State will not tender any more new public works and will cancel approved tenders whose development has not yet begun. “The reality is that there is no money to pay for more public works which, as all Argentines know, often end up in the pockets of politicians or businessmen in power. Public works have always been one of the hotbeds of corruption in the State and with us that is over. Infrastructure works in Argentina will be carried out by the private sector, since the State has neither the money nor the financing to carry them out,” said the new head of the Treasury portfolio.
- Reduction of energy and transport subsidies. According to the official, today the State “artificially maintains very low prices” in energy and transport rates through these subsidies. “Politics has always done this because in this way they deceive people into believing that they are putting money in their pockets. But as all Argentines will have already realized, these subsidies are not free, but are paid for with inflation. What they give you in the price of the ticket they charge you with increases in the supermarket. And with inflation, it is the poor who end up financing the rich,” said the Minister.
- The Potenciar Trabajo plans are maintained according to the 2023 Budget.
- The amount of the Universal Child Allowance (AUH) will be doubled and will increase the amount of the Food Card by 50%.
- Devaluation of the official dollar to $800, with a temporary increase in the PAIS tax on imports and withholdings on non-agricultural exports “so as not to discriminate against the countryside.” “Once the emergency is over, export duties will be eliminated,” Caputo said.
- The SIRA import system will be eliminated and will be replaced with a statistical system without the need for prior licensing approval.
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