Argentina to cut red tape for some imports
9:55 pm Tuesday, October 08th, 2024
(Reuters) – Argentina’s government announced it will implement some measures to streamline and simplify trade operations in the country.
WHY IT’S IMPORTANT
The measures are targeted at boosting Argentina’s exchange rate against the U.S. dollar, according to the deregulation and state transformation ministry. The peso trades at an official exchange rate along with weaker rates for commodities, commerce as well as an unofficial rate.
CONTEXT
The new regulation will eliminate a requirement that some imports be priced to market as well as a fiscal stamp from tax agency AFIP.
BY THE NUMBERS
The government estimates that the measures will increase exporters’ profitability by 1%, while importers will see a 1% drop in profitability.
KEY QUOTES
“The State shouldn’t act with the mindset that everyone is a criminal,” said Federico Sturzenegger, minister of deregulation and state transformation, who has been spearheading efforts to cut out what he and libertarian President Javier Milei view as burdensome state bureaucracy.
“The (customs) controls are going to be the same,” said AFIP head Florencia Misrahi. “But these measures are aimed at having customs only control what it needs to be controlling.”
WHAT’S NEXT
The text of the regulations, in full detail, will be published on Wednesday in the nation’s Official Gazette.
(Reporting by Candelaria Grimberg; Writing by Aida Pelaez-Fernandez; Editing by Jacqueline Wong)
