Visión Liberal – If something is not a responsibility of Mauricio Macri is the disaster that the previous Administration has left him in relation to energy shortage, tariff delay and fiscal deficit. While Cambiemos should put in place concrete actions to reduce the impact on the invoice of the removal of subsidies, such as the reduction of the tax percentage, the tariff adjustment is inevitable.
The debate around the problem of energy shortages, inflation and the removal of subsidies did not have, by any means, the level required by the problem. All the media and politicians discussed during the last weeks whether the rates were “frozen” or not. That is to say, if the people, by magic, would stop perceiving the increases to pay back the amounts of 2017.
During the 12 years of Kirchnerism, Argentina maintained subsidized rates, which for the user were not modified from the Convertibility with the dollar. Although the peso was devalued from 1 to 15 in those years, people continued to pay the same and the difference was covered by the State through subsidies from the monetary issue.
Inflation, exchange control and energy shortages were the inevitable result of this populist party.
Today the subsidies continue, but the Government seeks to withdraw them gradually. With a galloping fiscal deficit and with the demands of the International Monetary Fund to reduce the deficit, Peronism attacked with this unfeasible populist proposal (Freezing tariff as long as necessary). In addition to being counterproductive, the “freeze” was impossible to comply with, since the same Congress that approved this had already voted for the budget. That is why the budget items to re-subsidize all users, above what was planned simply does not exist.
However, it is necessary to clarify again that, although we must support the Government in the face of these unfriendly measures, we must demand that the adjustment, which is being made by citizens, also be done by politics.
In these two and a half years the Argentines had to adjust their belts to leave the world of fantasies to which Kirchnerism subjected us, from which we pay the costs today. However, the bureaucrats, yesterday Kirchner and today macristas, continue living the good life.
It is alarming that the government is clear and concise when it comes to making people pay for broken dishes and that it postpones for an indefinite period the adjustment of the State.
In the same way that citizens today have to cut their expenses, the government apparatus has to cut dependencies, ministries, secretariats and even today, this is not happening.
Although it is necessary to clarify that the proposals of the opposition, like the absurdity of the tariff “freezing” is crazy, it is also pertinent to make it clear that the Government is not doing its homework in relation to the cut of its own.
Written By Marcelo Duclós
Es Periodista (TEA) y Master en Ciencias Políticas y Economía (Eseade).
