2023-12-27 20:33:51
President Javier Milei sent this afternoon to the Chamber of Deputies the draft “Law of Bases and Starting Points for the Freedom of Argentines”, in which he asks Congress to declare a public emergency in economic, financial, fiscal, and pension matters. , security, defense, tariffs, energy, health, administrative and social until December 31, 2025.
In the text, which contains a series of initiatives contemplated in the DNU that was signed last week, it establishes that the period for the emergency may be extended by the national Executive Branch for a maximum period of two years.
The initiative is signed by Milei, the Chief of Staff Nicolas Posse, and the ministers of the Executive Branch, and consists of 183 pages and 664 articles.
Throughout the project, tax reforms are established, the application of the formula to update salaries is suspended, and sanctions are authorized for protest, among other measures.
The project modifies the National Penal Code to apply penalties to people who, without “creating a situation of common danger, prevent, hinder or hinder the normal functioning of transportation by land, water or air or public communication services, provision of water, electricity or energetic substances, will be punished with imprisonment of one (1) to three (3) years and six (6) months.”
“If the circulation or means of public transport are prevented, hindered or hindered by carrying one’s own or improper weapon, damage is caused to the physical integrity of people, the penalty will be two (2) to four (4) years in prison, provided that it does not constitute a more severely punished crime.”
“Those who direct, organize or coordinate a meeting or demonstration that prevents, hinders or hinders circulation or public or private transportation or that causes injuries to people or damage to property will be punished with imprisonment from two to five years, whether or not they are present at the demonstration or camp,” says the article.
In addition, the initiative contains an electoral chapter where the primary, simultaneous and mandatory open elections are repealed, the Anti-Corruption Office is modified, the political party regime, and the composition of the Chamber of Deputies are changed.
Regarding the retirement issue, it suspends article 32 of law 24,241, which established the system to increase the retirement income every three months, and says that the Executive Branch will “establish an automatic formula for adjusting the benefits mentioned in sections a), b), c), d), e) and f) of article 17 of Law No. 24,241, taking into account the criteria of equity and economic sustainability.”
“Until an automatic formula is established, the national executive branch may make periodic increases, giving priority to the lowest-income beneficiaries,” adds the text of the project.
One of the points raised by the law is that it declares companies and societies wholly or majority owned by the State subject to privatization, including Aerolíneas Argentinas, Aysa, Banco Nación, YPF, and the public media Channel 7, Radio Nacional and Telam.
In this sense, it indicates that “the national Executive Branch is empowered to proceed with the alienation of the shareholdings or capital of the National State and/or its entities in any private company, which does not grant it the majority of social capital necessary to exercise the control of such entities, for which the procedures provided for in Chapter II of Law No. 23,696 will be applied as pertinent.”
Regarding the tax chapter, the project contemplates money laundering and a moratorium on tax and customs obligations and social security resources due on November 30.
It also proposes changes in the tax regime for Personal Property, sets withholdings for the agricultural sector, authorizes imports of natural gas without the need to request authorization, unifies the Gas and Electricity entities and changes the biofuels law.
Previously and through the social network law and we express our firm will to undertake, immediately and with suitable instruments, the fight against the adverse factors that threaten the freedom of Argentines; that prevent the correct functioning of the market economy and are the cause of the impoverishment of the Nation.” .
It also states that the reforms are promoted “in the name of the May Revolution of 1810 and in defense of the life, liberty and property of Argentines.”
This morning, presidential spokesman Manuel Adorni had anticipated that the project includes tax, labor, criminal, energy and electoral issues.
Regarding the projects, he said that “it will be in the hands of senators and deputies” to choose whether to go “towards freedom” and “to end this decadence” that led the country to the current situation.
The title of the package of laws is an allusion to Juan Bautista Alberdi: “He is one of the fathers of our country and the intellectual author of our first constitution, whom of course everyone knows the President deeply admires.”
This week the Government formalized the call for extraordinary sessions in the National Congress from yesterday – December 26 – until January 31, 2024 to discuss a package of initiatives promoted by the ruling party, among which are reforms of the State and the Tax on Profits and the establishment of the Single Ballot System.
As explained by the spokesperson, the project “complements” the reforms dictated by the Casa Rosada through the Decree of Necessity and Urgency (DNU) released a week ago and both share the “north” that is “placed in the freedom of each one of the Argentines.”
When the presentation of the project was made official, Adorni published on his X network account: “For freedom, prosperity and the Republic.”
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