Cristina Fernandez targets Argentines going abroad to contain outflow of dollars
No end for the US dollar clamp in Argentina. According to the Buenos Aires media the government of President Cristina Fernandez is preparing a set of new measures to further limit Argentines from holding the US currency but also from spending abroad on tourism.
In the next seven days the Argentine tax revenue office AFIP is expected to announce the measures which apparently will include extra levies on the purchase of tickets to fly abroad, tourism packages and shopping at free-shops.
Last week it was made official that Argentine holders of both credit and debit cards will have to pay a 15% surcharge for expenditures overseas supposedly deductible when the final annual statement on taxes. The same 15% applies to purchases on line with cards.
The Buenos Aires media reports that the final ironing out of the package is being reviewed by the central bank and the Argentine Tourism Chamber. What has yet to be decided is the percentage to be charged, and the objective is to close “all possible loopholes for the outflow of US dollars”.
“We are trying to compensate all the dollar escape points to help compensate the strong need for foreign currency which the Argentine economy demands”, according to one of the sources quoted in the report.
Likewise as part of the grip and restrictions the Argentine government published on Monday in the nation’s Official Gazette, a measure laying out rules for government officials in official trips out of the country.
According to the new rules, government staff and officials are to receive “only the currency of the destination country they are to visit as opposed to dollars which so far was the case that caused some fuzz as it was detected that many officials found there a leak to buy/collect dollars at the always convenient Banco Nación's official rate, which is currently banned for regular citizens.
The national government stated the new policy is aimed towards “ensuring the equal treatment for all Argentine citizens.”
“Trips and official missions abroad have the objective of representing the Argentine State”, the government said today in the Official Gazette and added that official travelling is subjected to a previous measure.
“Those officials should be abided by the institutions appointed to authorize those missions and official trips”.
President Cristina Fernández has been imposing currency exchange controls since November last year which have since been tightened considerably.
Apparently the last batch of measures can be traced to recent data on tourist movements in Argentina and which Cristina Fernandez underlined with “something more than surprise last week”, when she was informed by the Ministry of Tourism that last July the number of Argentines travelling overseas was up 20.2% over the same month a year ago.
“I have the latest figures from Tourism, how many arrived, how many travelled overseas and how much they spend”, said the Argentine president. “And although we received fewer tourists: what a surprise: July last year when the boom, 165.239 Argentines travelled overseas, while this last July, 198.867”.
And not only that “they spent 25.9% more than last year; here is one of those myths about Argentina: this is only one of the many examples of the ‘discouragement campaign by the big media’ intent in giving bad news and criticizing my administration”.
According to the official stats presented by Cristina Fernandez the number of tourists that arrived in Argentina during July dropped 7.5% compared to the same month in 2011, and totalled 215,511 people, while the Argentine citizens that travelled abroad climbed 20.2%.
The Indec national statistics bureau said that the expense of tourists was of 295.3 million dollars, dropping 7.6% in the seventh month of the year.
Meanwhile, Argentine tourists' expenses abroad reached 276.2 million dollars, 25.9% higher than the volume registered in the same month last year.
Suggested Stories
-
May 18th 2013
“Blue” dollar in Argentina picks up in last day of trading and reaches 8.95 Pesos
-
May 18th 2013
Argentina forces cancellation of all Lan flights by suspending ground services
-
May 17th 2013
Argentina’s ‘autarkic project’ worsens bilateral relations and multiplies problems
-
May 17th 2013
Argentine whitewash bill turning into ugly electoral debate
63 comments Feed
Note: Comments do not reflect MercoPress’ opinions. They are the personal view of our users. We wish to keep this as open and unregulated as possible. However, rude or foul language, discriminative comments (based on ethnicity, religion, gender, nationality, sexual orientation or the sort), spamming or any other offensive or inappropriate behaviour will not be tolerated. Please report any inadequate posts to the editor. Comments must be in English. Thank you.
Anyone with the money and sense should leave the Argentine prison camp before it's too late.
Not thar they ever will of course.
It looks and sounds like a old soviet block state more and more with each passing day, any normal argentine with any sense, and any money , would be making travel plans right NOW.
Just pop round to the Ecuadorian Embassy, and tell them you are feeling a little persecuted. I understand they will be extremely sympathetic – allowing free board and lodging ad infinitum.
I'm sick of this shit.
The Ecuadorians will soon be over run by suspected rapists/killers/ robbers and all sorts of undesirables, jumping bail and claiming diplomatic immunity from all over the world, I'm afraid their will be no room for potential argie holiday makers.
I am guessing there will be a vote to suspend and maybe kick out ARG from IMF/WB/IDB during the Oct meeting. I am also wondering how long the Paris Club will let them stay in default before they take some pretty harsh action.
It is also pretty hard to plant when your fields are under water. If this turns into a 2nd year of poor crops they may have quite a few pols swinging from trees by next year.
“It is also pretty hard to plant when your fields are under water.”
Aha! There seems to be a connection here. Not just land belonging to others that Arge seek to abduct.
www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2201377/Ahmadinejad-accuses-West-stealing-Irans-rain-AGAIN.html?ito=feeds-newsxml
@10 Thanks for the reminder. Shopping list - Vitamin ‘D’ tablets for Julian. Wouldn’t want him to get Rickets through lack of sunshine (wont be a problem when he gets to Gitmo).
They believe what they are told to believe - bit like RG's really.
This is just the beginning watch out because cornered animals get vicious.
ElaineB ...muts (dutch for idiot) ( B for Burro, you should know since you go often to that indian resort there in Chile), the more you type, the more you show what kind of idiot you are. Name us here the nations that doesn't except south americans. For example here in the US and in Europe they are begging the Brazilians to come. Do yourself a favour, stop drinking the kool aid and pay attention in your own shitty country that's falling apart..yeah..you're being raped there by Camoron and his banksters friends, but i guess you love that..or your so called friends in chile and argentina hasn't told you that yet.
Sep 11th, 2012 - 03:59 pm
Just try getting a room in Madrid with your Mercosur/Mercosul passport!!!!!
Argentines almost without exception want to move to Europe or the US. (One of my friends was emailing me this last weekend regarding trying her luck in Spain, for instance). Immigration has been restricted because of the problems in Europe and one area in particular that has been targeted is South America. Believe it or not but it is true. The quota for South America to the UK is very low, almost non-existent. It changed when Cameron was elected and is unlikely the change back in the near future.
@25 Are you talking about HB1 visas? They are not all that easy to obtain are they. The applicant must have a job contract for a minimum three years and has to prove they are an exceptional candidate for the job. They also require a minimum of a degree equivalent to a US degree. The cost of the process would probably put it beyond the means of most Argentines and I doubt many of their degrees would meet the equivalency test.
btw I advised my friend in BsAs to reconsider - she can work anywhere and there are cheaper alternatives to Europe. But interestingly she had done quite a lot of research and many things are now cheaper in Spain than in Argentina. She also made a remark along the lines of...... everyone talks about a crisis in Europe but they have no idea. A crisis is what is happening to my poor country right now.
The green card lottery is limited to 55, 000 people and allocation made to countries. Brazil is about 560, Argentina 220 no one from Columbia is allowed.....Venezuela has 300 alloted.
They are 3,000 medical doctors from argentina working in the USA, starting salary $200,000 plus benfits with degrees from argentinians universities.
Please, note all foreign medical doctors in the USA have to pass the medical board exams and are yearly evaluated for their work performance by hospitals and liabity insurances.
Same board exams and several work evaluation applies to engineers, architects, teachers, social workers, nurses, nurses assistants,
pilots, teachers, etc.
While residing in Tehran, Iran I met the best petroleum engineers and teachers from Argentina.
The Indian Reservation schools in the USA hires foreign teachers from all over the world.
No licence ..................no patience.
Every state has it's own medical board of public safety that requires physicians to practice.
MORON!
Don't confuse board specialty versus medical license.
A typical degree in Chile takes five years. I enquired about this in Chile and was advised by a foundation providing scholarships there that a student entering University in Chile is not at the same level as a typical 'A'level student in the UK.
A friend of mine in Argentina is in his sixth year as a full time student at university studying a subject that would take three years in the UK.
In order to use your degree in the US you have to pay for an equivalency certificate, where the content of the course, country where you studied and university are all considered. Just sayin'.
All physicians require to have a medical license provided by the medical board of each state.
3,000 argentine medical doctors have passed such medical exams, beside that these physicians are evaluated on their work performance on yearly basis by hospitals and liability insurances.
The years to study in each country is different but the curriculum is almost the same.
@ 33 Jerry
Education in the USA is getting worst:
“No child left behind” a law passed by former USA president Bush clearly indicates that teacher did not care about doing their job.
High School drop outs and teen pregnancy is the biggest problem the USA is trying to resolve.
Bullying and shooting in high schools don't show too much of a civilized country....drive by shooting, overweight students...
The USA education is going down hill...when is going to be resolved?
No ones knows.
This new tax will - as intended - reduce the amount of money Argentinos spend abroad, including in their favorite tourist destinations, Uruguay, Chile and Brasil.
Will Uruguay, Chile and Brasil retaliate? why shouldn't they?
- and if the US, Canada, Australia, Asia and and Europe join in, this will mean a large net loss of much needed foreign currency.
Take gun, load gun, cock gun, point gun at foot, pull trigger. Result: Pain, use surgery to reapir injury.
Take gun, load gun, cock gun, hold muzzle to temple, pull trigger. Result: Damage can be repaired using two pieces of sticking plaster.
JIC:
The fee Australia, Canada and the US charge is to cover expenses for approval of the application before a visa is issued, while he reciprocity fee is revenge based on hurt national pride (I have recently delivered a SWOT analysis of tourism to Chile; they acknowledged the problem but couldn't get over their hurt feelings).
The majority of Argentinos, Chilenos and other Lationo Americanos travel to those countries to get a job and take money out of the countries.
The majority of Ozzies, Canadians and US Americans travel to Argentina, Chile and the rest of Latino America to spend money, i.e. bringing money into the countries.
www.argentinaindependent.com/currentaffairs/national-government-will-not-pay-subte-subsidies-with-2013-budget/
Another expropriation in the works.
online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20120907-713603.html
blogs.ft.com/beyond-brics/2012/07/12/tourism-in-argentina-feeling-the-squeeze/
“Guys, Captain Poppy seems to be in the pay roll of Mauricio Macri and maybe partner of Beatrice Murch.
Umm. I just wonder if conspiracy against an Argentine Head of the State still has 10 year prison.
Any fellow argie lawyer to give free advise to Poppy & co?”
I think I am suppose to get freightened and stop lol
Rgs are all bark and no bite. If you stand up to the they will quickly back down. So you get a lot of keyboard warriors here that hide in the shadows during the day.
As I said they are becoming UNHINGED.
Things are falling apart pretty quickly there. My friend had a long conversation with his family last weekend but wouldn't talk about it except to say it is all bad news.
I wonder where all the suppodedly “fair minded” individuals on this board are... the ones who say they don't hate Argentina, or they don't care, or they just don't like the government, but have nothing against the people.
This statement above is the most appalling lie and untruth ever written here. And the best part is this APE (that is what yankeebroke has proven to be, an illiterate, trolling, depraved ape), he freaking shoots his own postulations down within the same response!!!
“Argentina is not a civilized society”, he writes...
then...
“When she loses power there is a very good chance she will die or they will bankrupt her through the courts and jail her. That is why she will do all that she can to stay in power. ”
If she will go to court and to jail because of proven fraud, or go bankrupt in the process, doesn't that in fact show Argentina is more civilized than the USA or UK will ever be? We actually prosecute our leaders, they are not above the law... which they clearly are in the backwards societies of the USA/UK, where a president or prime minister can do all kinds of financial, political, and military blunders and get away with it.
And everyone here knows CFK won't die, since Argentina does not assassinate presidents. Such things are for inferior societies, filled with deranged biological entities, where 10 people may have their heads blown inside out in a school, a kindergarten, a university, a library, an office building, a shopping mall, a supermarket, a national monument, a skyscraper, the middle of the highway, or even a stupid movie screen. And where presidents are not immune, whether in a theater watching a play or riding.
Reality.
We all have to attend your funeral!
www.washingtonpost.com/business/argentina-matches-inflation-with-26-pct-hike-in-welfare-expands-program-to-69-billion/2012/09/13/d6a40078-fdb7-11e1-98c6-ec0a0a93f8eb_story.html
26% increase in government handouts is ass lips way of acknowledging the real inflation rate. I hope the good prople of Argentina catch the fact that she is devaluing the peso at a rate of 2 cents a week. a little more than .5% decrease in value a week. SHe hopes a slow and sturdy decline will go unnoticed and be less painful.
Still here???
CFK gets re-elected - vows to stay QUEEN FOR LIFE
funnywebjokes.files.wordpress.com/2010/05/00grandma.jpg
Commenting for this story is now closed.
If you have a Facebook account, become a fan and comment on our Facebook Page!