In this same period, the prices of Light rates They increased almost 270% in it Metropolitan Area of Buenos Aires (AMBA) in front of inflation of 117.8% year -on -year. The increase in the electricity service was well above the wagesthey only grew 137.7% With one Great dispersion between registered sectors (which includes public and private), as well as informal.
Users of energy Electric They went to pay the 22% of the cost of services (with 78% subsidies) in January 2024, to 60% In February 2025 (with only 40% subsidies), as he said in dialogue with Scope The economist Red Julian of the Interdisciplinary Institute of Political Economics (IIEP). Even so, the specialist stressed that “January and February are very difficult months to analyze because there are subexecutions, so it is expected to the first four -month period to have a more accurate average of the records.”
In addition, Red emphasized that another important factor will be the 2023 extended budget that was used in 2024 and will now also be used in 2025with the corresponding extensions. “This implies that today at the end of February you have the same credit to spend that the one you had on December 31, 2024, until the new extension,” said the economist, who explained that currently this amount is in $ 8,143,955 million.
“This increase in energy demand coverage was explained by the increase in rates, something helped by exchange appreciation between January 2024 and January this year, that is, Average electrical system costs are more or less similar, but the price paid in dollars is much higher “he mentioned Gadano.
In that period, rates increased 268% In the AMBAaccording to the Public Services Observatory of the Iiep. In addition, the Natural gas rose 531%, transport 601%and water 331%. This results in that, on average, the Public Services Basket of the Greater Buenos Aires climbed 402%.
For its part, for 2024 registered salaries grew 137.7% in front of inflation of 117.8%which implied an improvement in 9% in real termsalthough between private and audiences there was a strong disparity. The former recovered a 13.7%; while the beings of the employees state only one slight 0.7%.
However, against November 2023 (prior to the start of the government of Javier Milei) The average of registered wages fell 5.14%which was explained by the loss of 15.3% of the purchasing power of public employees, while private just a 0.6% real.
Public Services Rates: Rate Debate
The debate about the need for a “restructuring” of rates It is present from 2016when at that time the Mauricio Macri government used the analogy of the Pizzas to minimize the impact of Rate. “What a family pays for the light of a month equals the value of a pizza”the former Minister of Finance mentioned at that time, Alfonso Prat-Gay. “The percentages scare when you say how much they will rise. But an invoice that was paid $ 150 and passes to $ 350, are $ 200, which are also two taxis or two pizzas,” added Prat-Gay.
P14 – Alfonso Prat gay_op.jpeg
Alfonso Prat Gay
However, at that time he still recorded the salaries in a high threshold. The historical maximum of assets in 2017 reached a value of U $ S1.832 Grosswhile the Minimum, vital and mobile salary (SMVM) It was located in U $ S543.56 (they were $ 8,806 in May 2016). At that time, rates represented a tiny percentage of wages, so homes a greater consumption capacity.
For its part, last November, the median of gross remuneration, which measures the situation and evolution of registered work (SIPA), It was located in $ 1,077,793 (U $ S887.50 to the CCL dollar)although great unions such as Trade registered salaries between $ 855,620 and $ 906,452, depending on the category.
The SMVM, meanwhile, arrived in the eleventh month of 2024 to $ 271,571 (some U $ 223.62). And the Public Services Basket In that month he reached $ 134,173. This implies that he insumed a 49.40% of the minimum wage, while the 15.23% of a remuneration of a trade employee (average between both extremes. Taking into account the median, covered 12.45%).
Also, the Public Services Basket It was located in $ 28,651 in December 2023 and insuted a 4.4% of the average salary of that month ($ 651,242, according to the median of the gross remuneration of the Sipa), while the SMVM It was positioned in $ 156,000so that the 18.4% of the minimum credit. The salary of a trade employee in that month was among the $ 441,108,34 and the $ 467,314.17, With which, in the Medinaa the 6.3%.
In this way, the services went from insuming a minimum salary portion to a fixed expense that multiplied by three and four, depending on the case, which led to homes having a smaller purchasing power.
So much so, according to the latest opinion survey of Projection Consultants, Argentines have the main concern not to reach the end of the month (36.2%)while secondly the insecurity and crime (27.8%) And third The country enters a total crisis (19.6%).
In addition, the report “Social compass” of consumption of Research pulse shows that the 70% of Argentines He had to resign some type of consumption in the last month. Among them, it stressed that the 38.9% reduced the purchase of food, food and drinks in general, while another 17% cut in the meat that ingests and a 21.9% limited the amount of exits in general like going to restaurants, theater and cinema.
Mass consumption had in 2024 the worst year since 2002at the exit of convertibility. A one fell 18% interannual in December and accumulated a retraction of 13.9% In twelve months, according to the consultant’s survey Scentia.
Source: Ambito
