It is one of the first industrial sectors to ask for the elimination of export taxes, which They were applied at the end of the government of Mauricio Macri, in the midst of the 2018 crisis.
The plan did the president of FAIMA, Román Queiroz, who told Ámbito that “a year ago there was a margin, but if you look closely, at that time the official dollar was $100 and now it is $124, against inflation that was approximately 60% ”.
The reasons why businessmen ask the Government to reduce the tax burden on exports have to do with the fact that the price of a cubic meter of wood is falling at the international level, which combined with the delay in the exchange rate, they say, is eroding profitability.
The wood and furniture sector benefited greatly from the pandemic. It went from marginal foreign sales of $50 million a year before the global health crisis, to $500 million in 2021. The main buyer is the United States, and it is wood with only a first treatment, that is, those that are profiled and planed once the tree has been cut.
Queiroz explained that this year the export activity is decreasing. “The companies are having logistical problems,” he said, especially due to the increase in the cost of fuel.
Facing it, the businessmen asked Kulfas to replenish the Sectoral Table for wood and furniture to analyze possible solutions. For example, the Minister of Productive Development reminded FAIMA businessmen that the forestry industry already has a differentiated treatment of withholdings. Small and medium-sized companies do not pay withholdings up to US$500,000, while operations of that amount up to one million pay 0.3%.
The moment for Argentina in the forestry business seems optimal. In addition to being an agricultural power, Russia also contributes 14% of world wood exports and it goes without saying that since the invasion of Ukraine began, this offer has been out of the market, which boosted prices. But with the rise in rates by the United States Federal Reserve, credit in that country was reduced and that affected the demand for wood and also lowered its prices somewhat.
In addition, Argentina has a defining competitive advantage over Europe. Planted trees for wood such as pine or eucalyptus are ready to be felled at 14 years, while in the old continent they take between 20 and 25 years.
The productive chain of the sector has around 70,000 formal jobs, 43,000 in the wood sector and 25,500 in furniture. Exports in the wood sector increased by 25% compared to last year, while in furniture the rise was 7%. Local and international investment announced projects for US$520 million.
Source: Ambito
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