The government of elected president of Argentina, Javier Milei, has in mind to eliminate some of the obstacles to imports, which could result in a benefit for exporters in the Uruguay, who were affected by the restrictive measures promoted by the management of Alberto Fernandez.
This was stated by the chancellor appointed by Milei, Diana Mondino, who anticipated the intention to annul the SIRAs, the system that imposed greater control on imports and that affected the Uruguayan export sector by at least 22.5 million dollars, according to estimates by the Chamber of Industries of Uruguay (CIU).
When consulted by Argentina Area during an event at Industrial Union from the neighboring country, Mondino rated the SIRAs as “an extortion mechanism that creates obstacles and has no benefit”.
However, he clarified that this situation will not occur on December 10, the day of inauguration of the new government. “These are issues that are going to take weeks or months,” warned the future chancellor.
Argentina and a history of obstacles that affected Uruguayan exporters
During the management Fernandez, There were several restrictive measures Argentina that affected the Uruguay. For example, last July, the Minister of Economy Sergio Massa launched a fiscal package to tax imports of goods and freight at 7.5%, while payment for services abroad is reached by the COUNTRY tax, which is 25%.
A few days later, the Federal Public Revenue Administration (AFIP) of Argentina residue 25% the quota allowed for importing companies to make purchases abroad through the Financial Economic Capacity (CEF), which impacted the import capacity of some large companies.
These measures are part of a sustained discomfort between the Uruguayan export sector and the Argentine government. Even at the summit of Mercosur held in Iguazú, both the president Luis Lacalle Pou like the then chancellor Francisco Bustillo They openly demanded the end of obstacles to imports.
It is that, according to data from the Executive, There are about 600 import permits for Uruguayan goods pending authorization by Argentina. In addition, the country exports about 25% of its production to the regional bloc and receives more than 40% from imports.
The losses of the Uruguayan export sector
Specifically, in the first quarter of the year the exports Uruguayans towards Argentina They went from 221.5 million to 167.6 million dollars, dropping their share as a destination from 6.2% to 5.3%. On the other hand, through imports, the percentage grew from 10.4% to 11.3% (from 408.4 million to 463.6 million dollars).
A faithful reflection of the situation was what was stated by the president of the Union of Exporters of Uruguay (UEU), Facundo Marquezwho in dialogue with Ambit explained last May that “any product that you want to export to Argentina It requires authorization, which is totally discretionary, there is nothing institutional” and questioned: “The skinny guy who is sitting in the Ministry of Commerce says this yes, this no. That can take you a month, two months, three.”
Along the same lines, from the CIU They indicated that the situation worsened in the weeks prior to the general elections and recalled that after the primaries on August 13, the neighboring country reduced by 90% the issuance of permits for goods produced in the country to enter its market. Uruguay.
Along these lines, he indicated that some 13 companies are in a critical situation, with unauthorized imports for 4.5 million dollars, with other firms that have frozen exports for 18 million dollars.
Source: Ambito
