What will enter the Deputies will be a washed Omnibus Law. Since the entire fiscal chapter has been removed by decision of the Minister of Economy, aspects linked to the national public administration, the list of companies to be privatized and the creation of the Anti-Corruption Office, will remain for debate as the most important aspects.
The pressure from the governors regarding withholdings and the continuous negotiations with the different blocs plucked legislation with 664 articles and reduced it to 384. Of the “Law of Bases and Starting Point for the Freedom of Argentines” only barely remained the name: retirements, withholdings for the countryside, money laundering and moratoriums will be debated at another time. As well as the reinstallation of the Income Tax, a door to co-shareable funds, but without an agreement with the provinces.
What remained of the Omnibus Law
Most of the articles correspond to administrative issues of the State. The declaration of “the public emergency in economic, financial, fiscal, security, tariff, energy and administrative matters until December 31, 2024” stands out. Something that is interpreted as the tariff readjustment of public services such as energy, water and transportation subsidies.
Regarding the management of discretionary funds by portfolios and ministers, trusts or fiduciary funds will be eliminated to become part of General Revenues in order to ensure greater transparency in their administration.
Sale and resale of tickets. Since the enactment of the Omnibus Law, sports tickets may be resold without limit on the number of times said operation can be carried out and the ticket sales manager may not impose restrictions on said resale.
In article 7, the State is empowered to initiate a plan for the total or partial privatization of productive companies, societies, establishments or farms whose property belongs wholly or partially to the National State. The original text of the bill presented by the Government proposed the privatization of all state companies, after negotiations it was decided to withdraw YPF as well as INTA and CONICET.
The Anti-Corruption Office and Prosecutor’s Office
Within the framework of the analysis of the omnibus law, the libertarian deputies and their allied blocs have expressed in the majority opinion the role of the new Anti-Corruption Office (OA). Chapter V of the aforementioned law establishes that the OA will have the function of “constituting itself as a plaintiff in proceedings in which the State’s assets are affected, within the scope of its jurisdiction.” This point has been the subject of strong complaints, especially by opposition deputies.
However, it should be noted that this provision did not align with the intention of the Minister of Justice, who advocated stripping the OA of said role. In various interviews, the minister expressed his concern about the “indiscriminate use of the Courts, of State agencies, of the OA, of the Financial Investigation Unit (UIF), to persecute opponents.”
List of companies to be privatized
Annex I of the Law details the following companies that are subject to privatization.
General Administration of the Port SE Aerolíneas Argentinas SA Agua y Saneamiento Argentinos SA Investment Bank and Foreign Trade SA Casa de Moneda SE Public Contents SE Corredores Viales SA Official Mail of the Argentine Republic SA Construction of Housing for the Argentine Navy SE DIOXITEK SA EDUC.AR SE Argentine Air Navigation Company SE Energía Argentina SA Argentine Aircraft Factory “Brig. San Martín” SA Military Fabrications SE Argentine Railways SE Agricultural Technological Innovations SA INTERCARGO SAU Nación Bursátil SA Pellegrini SA Banco de news Argentina Nación Reaseguros SA Nación Retirement Insurance SA Nación Servicios SA Playas Ferroviarias de Buenos Aires SA Technological Pole Constituciónntes SA Radio de la Universidad Nacional del Litoral SA Radio and Television Argentina SE Radio and Television Service of the University of Córdoba SA Naval Workshops Dársena Norte SACI and N. TELAM SE Development of Railway Human Capital SAPEM. Belgrano Cargas y Logística SA Railway Infrastructure Administration SE Railway Operator SE New Generation Space Vehicle SA Fiscal Coal Deposits Dionisio Water Mining Deposits (YMAD) Nucleoeléctrica Argentina SA Empresa Argentina de Soluciones Satelitales SA