Los The main presidential candidates paraded this Monday through the traditional Rural Exhibition and presented their proposals for the field. Sergio Massa, Patricia Bullrich, Horacio Rodríguez Larreta, Javier Milei and Juan Schiaretti showed contrasts around the problems of the agricultural sector, such as withholdings and the exchange rate.
The eventheld at the Palermo fairgrounds three weeks after PASO, andwas crossed by the recent measures launched by MassaMinister of Economy and candidate for “Union for the Fatherland”, in the framework of the final negotiation with the International Monetary Fund to close a new agreement.
These measures, which aim to stop the fall in reserves, include a rate of the PAIS tax for imports; a new “agro dollar” at a price of 340 pesos; and the elimination of withholdings for six regional economies, among others.
Massa took advantage of the La Rural gallery to respond to the criticism that arose from entities such as the Rural Society and Argentine Rural Confederations (CRA), which warned that the measures generate “distortions” and “lack of confidence”, while the value of the “blue dollar” skyrocketed.
“There are transitory measures that can be more or less pleasant, but they have to do with the reality of the moment, not as a long-term view of the sector”, explained Massaand added: “None of you can ignore the moment that the program with the IMF and the drought impose on the economy, and that requires that the work we have been doing has to do with taking care of macro stability and taking care of the productive sector.”
Accompanied by a large government delegation, In which the secretaries Juan José Bahillo (Agriculture) and José Ignacio De Mendiguren (Industry) appeared, Massa attempted an approach to the countryside, a sector that has been hostile to Kirchnerism since the conflict over Resolution 125 on mobile retentions in 2008.
“You cannot live eternally embracing fights from the past, because that slows down Argentina,” Massa emphasized, and in another passage he maintained that “the Argentine countryside is one of the engines of economic growth” and that “dialogue with the sector and articulated work is essential.”
The exit of the exchange stocks generated a counterpoint between Bullrich and Rodríguez Larreta
The departure of the exchange stocks marked a counterpoint between Larreta and Bullrich, who hours before had coincided in the city of Córdoba to accompany the candidate for mayor Rodrigo De Loredo, in a unity photo was marred by the defeat against the pro-government candidate, Daniel Passerini.
First, Larreta considered that “it is not serious” to promise that the exchange rate will be unified “day zero” because “there are no dollars in the Central Bank”. “We are going to work on the unification of the exchange rate and get out of the stocks, to the extent possible and that we rebuild the reserves of the Central Bank and generate confidence,” he explained.
On the contrary, Bullrich promised to eliminate the stocks “immediately, because if not all those who have to invest are going to spend another year without investing waiting for the stocks to go away”. “The trap is a PacMan that in the last year took 18,000 million dollars. With legal engineering, we are going to ensure that the Argentine economy does not explode, as some say”, guaranteed the presidential candidate, who received some applause from the audience.
Larreta and Bullrich arrived accompanied by their respective economic teams. The Buenos Aires head of government was escorted, among others, by José Luis Espert, candidate for senator for Buenos Aires, and Alfonso Prat Gay, former head of the Central Bank, while the head of the PRO on license attended along with deputy Luciano Laspina and other candidates and advisers.
All candidates want to eliminate withholding
All the opposition exhibitors agreed on eliminate withholdings, but they proposed different schemes. For example, Larreta proposed to suppress them “on day one” for milk, rice, sugar, wine and other regional products, and then apply “a descending, realistic and sustainable schedule to lower them to all other products.”
Schiaretti, governor of Córdoba and presidential candidate of “Hacemos por Nuestro País”, suggested a gradually reduce to zerowhich is taken into account of the income tax.
“The current government has set foot on the countryside and treats agricultural producers as enemies, with stocks and taxes on production,” insisted the president, who praised the model implemented in his province and also proposed increasing the cut of biofuels.
Milei, for his part, was the first to speak and assured: “If we win, we are on the way to exchange rate unification and the elimination of withholdings. That would triple the income of producers and we would have an annual growth rate of 15%. In five years we would be more than doubling production”.
“My alliance is with good people, the Argentines who work. I have nothing to fix with jets, corrupt and murderers, “said the founder of La Libertad Avanza in one of the most applauded sections. He also toured the property accompanied by his deputy, Victoria Villarruel, her sister, Karina Milei, and the candidate for governor of Entre Ríos, Sebastián Etchevehere.
One of the “pearls” that left the meeting was the uncomfortable moment that Larreta lived under the stage, when a journalist asked him about his support for Martín Lousteau (Radical Evolution), candidate for head of the Buenos Aires Government and promoter of Resolution 125.
“Lousteau has already given his explanations in this same area several times”, Larreta said, visibly annoyed, and added: “I support the Juntos por el Cambio candidates throughout the country, and when there is an internal one, she supported the PRO candidates, as I have done everywhere. I work for the unity of Together for Change”.
Source: Argentine News