The president of ANSA emphasized that if the measures are not taken, the self-market and self-service area may close negatively at the end of the year
Italo Atencio, president of the National Association of Automarkets and Self-services (ANSA) reported that in January 2023 consumption was 26% lower than in December 2022. As expectations, he stated that we had “taken our foot off the accelerator” and estimated a growth of 5%.
From an interview with Román Lozinski, Atencio stated that “February was slower than January. The liquor basket was the one that moved the best, obviously due to the carnival effect. The rest of the baskets had a lower behavior than January 2023, “he indicated.
He stated that the year 2022 left two elements in figures: “on the one hand, the units grew by 7% compared to 2021, in addition to leaving a sector in motion with new stores.”
Atencio explained that in January the ANSA Basket, which is made up of 28 items that are calculated for a family of four people for a month, “was at $302, (…) with this issue of consumption, businesses were forced to make offers, so that basket in February was calculated at $265.”
Referring to the frequency of purchases by Venezuelans, he assured that it had changed: “before we went once a week or every 15 days. Now it can be a purchase two or three times a week (…) that has to do with the income you have. If I have the income, I buy.”
IGTF Adjustment
ANSA’s president He maintained that measures must be taken to avoid the impact that the Tax on Large Financial Transactions (IGTF) is generating. “There are different proposals on the table. Ours is very similar to that of Consecomercio, which is to adjust the rate at which the IGTF is applied from 3 to 0.5%, taking into account that this tax was always defined as temporary.
He stressed that the economy needs revitalization, so “the tax issue is very important for the sector, in addition to financing for working capital and investment.”
*Read also: Deputies will present IGTF reform proposal
In that order of ideas He delimited that “the currencies that are circulating around there must be incorporated into the national banking market to impact the credit of capitals (…) If we do so, the economy will automatically be impacted and the inertia will be broken”. He added that, if the inertia is not broken, “our concern is that from March onwards there will be tendencies to be less than the previous month.”
Regarding the salary, he emphasized that the minimum wage in the public sector must have an increase. «If that does not happen, the income is going to be impacted (…) there has to be all that movement. We think it’s going to happen,” he said.
“If the Chevron thing does not continue and the sanctions do not manage to be relaxed, without taking into account the fiscal and credit issue, we can think of a negative scenario for the country,” he said.
The ANSA representative stressed that, if the measures are not taken, the self-market and self-service area may close negatively at the end of the year.
*Read also: Consecomercio: IGTF increased costs up to 12% and there is a strong contraction in consumption
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