Kirchnerism tries to win budget battle at Lower House
Ruling Victory Front MPs was seeking today to secure the passing of the economic bills President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner wants cleared before the October 27 elections both at the Lower House and Seante. The package includes the 2014 budget and the Economic Emergency law.
Kirchnerite lawmakers met yesterday and set a special session for today at noon, a debate that is expected to last all day.
One of the bills the opposition has resisted the most is the one extending the so called tax check which is levied on financial transactions. Opposition blocs say the tax check deferral must be passed with a qualifying majority voting -129 votes- but Kirchnerism will push on with a simple majority stake.
Anticipating its negative vote, the Radical Party will propose to grant small and medium companies with a gradual tax exemption with revenues included in the co-participation regime reaching all provincial districts.
The RP will as well vote against the 2014 budget and the extension of the Economic Emergency law. “We consider the budget has been set under macro-economic standards that distort the reality of the Argentine economy estimating, for instance, a 10-percent inflation rate,” Radical deputy Miguel Bazze explained adding that continuing to grant the government with extraordinary faculties established by the Economic Emergency law “is no longer justified.” The Congress provided the executive branch with such power at times of economic crisis but “it is no longer justified,” Bazze said.
Voting figures go this way: 109 Victory Front MPs and 17 lawmakers belonging to government-aligned blocs. If Kirchnerism manages to keep these numbers –already enough to kich off the parliamentary session- then bills should have an easy passing though certainly not without a heated debate.
“We will vote on a predictable budget, without adjustments, cuts or indebtedness rise. Trade surplus will be positive on more than 10 billion dollars, talking about a country that exports value added and consolidates a competitive national industry with decent salaries for workers,” Lower House chairman Julián Domínguez said while the head of the Kirchnerite caucus Juliana Di Tullio called the opposition to have “political responsibility.”
Earlier this week, while leading a rally at the Buenos Aires province locality of Ezeiza, President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner plan ahead of today’s debate saying “budget and resources are not for the president but for all Argentineans.”
Source: Buenos Aires Herald