Economic Emmanuel Alvarez AgisFormer Deputy Minister of Economy in the second government Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner The current owner, the consulting company PxQ, proposed a replacement Check the tax For a new tax on Cash withdrawals.
This idea, which seeks to encourage the formalization of the economy, has raised strong questions from the president Javier MileyWho described the procedure as a form of “theft” from the consumer and linked it to the logic of “collection” of Kirchnerism.
Emmanuel Álvarez Aguiz’s proposal to collect a “cash tax”
During an interview in El Destabe, Álvarez Agís explained that his proposal is based on a blueprint “Carrot and stick”This means, Abolish the tax that affects the formal sectors and replace it with a tax that does not encourage the use of cash.
“The consumer demands that you pay with digital payment methods, because you have a tax on cash, which forces trade to formalize and above all to reward all companies, like mine, that have all formal flows,” he said.
The former official explained that the new tax would be implemented About cash withdrawal Its goal will be to push consumers and companies towards banking operations.
According to his proposal, “The idea is to abolish the check tax, which is considered a penalty for the formal economy, and And replace it with a cash tax“.With regard to the tax burden, he stated that the proposal would be neutralBecause it would reduce the pressure on formal workers and increase it on the informal economy.
Javier Miley’s criticism of the former Kirchnerian official
The controversy erupted when, during the interview, Álvarez Agís fleshed out the scope of the tax: “I go to the ATM, put $1,000 in and $900 comes out.”Which indicates that the rate may reach 10% Of the amounts extracted. This clip went viral on social networks and sparked strong criticism from liberal leaders. Representative of Buenos Aires Agustin RomoThe head of the ruling bloc was one of the first to question the idea, accusing Kirchnerism of pursuing it. “New ways to raise money.”
king the following He amplified the controversy by quoting the video on his X account with a strong message: “Kirchnerist = thief. The person who was Deputy Minister of Economy under Kiselov openly proposes to steal the 10% of your income that you allocate to consumption. They never think about cutting spending, they only think about how to collect more so that they can decide how much to spend your money and on what.” With this publication, the President placed the debate on tax structure at the center of the political debate.
Javier Miley’s message against Alvarez Agues
Álvarez Agís later confirmed that his proposal was so “misunderstood” And that the published pieces “distorted their original meaning.” He stressed that his proposal Do not seek to increase tax pressuresbut Adjusting incentives To combat informality: “This measure is designed so that, in terms of tax pressure, it is neutral for the economy as a whole, but you reduce and increase tax pressure on the formal world and make life more difficult for the informal world.
The economist also stressed that his proposal follows the example of policies applied in other countries Transferring the demand for formalization to the consumerInstead of focusing only on companies. He explained that “all the programs that reduced informality in the world did not create incentives for companies, but rather placed the demand for formalization on the consumer side.”
Despite the initiative It has not been formally introduced and has no legislative supportThe exchange reignited debate on tax policy and the role of the state in the economy. For Mele, any new tax on demand represents a State intervention In individual freedom, while for sectors associated with Kirchnerism, this measure could help – Reducing tax evasion and expanding the taxpayer base.
In short, Alvarez Aguiz’s proposal, which combines the abolition of an existing tax and the creation of another with a different approach, revived an old dispute: the dispute between reducing public spending and searching for new sources of financing.
The episode also marked a new chapter in The confrontation between the ruling liberal party and KirchnerismThis time on one of the most sensitive issues on the economic agenda: Collection and formalization of the Argentine productive system.
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