The former Kirchnerist deputy Fernanda Vallejos questioned in harsh terms this Friday the Minister of Economy, Martín Guzmánfor yesterday’s publication of the decree setting the rate segmentation system for users and establishes the removal of state subsidies to family groups whose income exceeds $333,410. “It is a new blow to the middle class”said about a measure that he described as “regrettable”.
“Unfortunate IMF tariff policy implemented by the Ministry of Economy”Vallejos began on Twitter and added: “A new blow to the consumption capacity (with all its macro implications) and to the quality of life of middle-class workers”.
After that, he remarked: “I held it until I was tired: The way to perfect the tariff policy is to raise IIGG and Personal Bs to those who have capacity.” To then question: “Is a family with a working mom and dad earning $166,000 each the same as a multi-millionaire businessman and both paying full rate?”
In line with the position of the national deputy and son of the vice president, Máximo Kirchner, the economist, who represents the hard wing of Kirchnerism, manifests criticism of the agreement with the IMF led by Guzmán. Months ago, he had warned: “Are we going to continue with the self-delusion that it is good to accept the impositions of the Fund? Or do we need them to destroy what’s left to react with the fait accompli?”
And among other criticisms, he stated: “The preliminary agreement includes a series of budgetary adjustments camouflaged under the concept of rationalization of spending. One of the items where the magnifying glass will be placed is the pension system, despite the fact that the opposite is publicly said. Special attention will be paid to the evaluation of special schemes and mechanisms that favor the extension of working life. It also intends to limit discretionary transfers to provinces and state companies”.
Yesterday, the Government confirmed the implementation of a new tariff segmentation system in three scales. As explained by the spokesperson for the Presidency, Gabriela Cerruti, the first of them -which is the one questioned by Vallejos- includes the people who have “monthly and net income greater than a value equivalent to 3 and 1/2 basic and total baskets [$333.410]”, are “owners of three or more cars less than 5 years old, of three or more properties, of one or more aircraft or luxury boats or of corporate assets that show full economic capacity”.
“This people they will stop receiving a subsidy from the State because we understand that if they meet these criteria they do not need the State to help them to pay their electricity rates”, justified the official of Alberto Fernández.
In relation to the remaining two segments, he detailed: “One is the one who currently receives the social rate and that it has to do with those people with lower incomes in a situation of vulnerability, who are already in one of the social plans such as the Universal Child Allowance (AUH) or the Food Card; and then there’s the intermediate sector, which does not meet either of these two criteria”.
According to Cerruti, Of the last two sectors mentioned, the first will pay a “social rate”which implies that “cannot have in the year an increase greater than 40% of the increase in the coefficient of the minimum, vital and mobile wage”, while the intermediate may not have an increase “greater than 80% of the salary coefficient increase”.
“In the case of segments 2 and 3, they will not have any other increase this year. There will be no rate increase for approximately 90% of the population for the rest of the year.”assured.