The Minister of Economy, Martin Guzman, ruled out today that a new budget bill will be presented for March, while ratifying that A new price agreement is being worked on starting next January 7.
Speaking to Radio 10, the head of the Palacio de Hacienda stated that “There is not going to be a new budget. The opposition has disorganized but we are going to organize. All opponents have to help in the agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF). We are going to lower inflation and create jobs. The main obstacle (to overcome) is to get an agreement with the IMF “.
The minister described what happened with the budget bill in Congress as “a political fact” With which “The opposition competed for who is more opposed to the Government. That course is harmful for Argentina.”
Later, Guzmán remarked that “We design the best budget that can be designed, within the needs of Argentina. We are going to transmit tranquility, we have the tools that allow Argentina to continue with the recovery. A new budget will not be presented in March. Now the 2021 budget will be extended. Clearly what happened on Friday generates anguish. What we were doing was ordering “.
In relation to inflation and the price agreement, the head of the economic portfolio emphasized that “We will maintain careful prices that help us lower inflation. In 2022 inflation will fall. The objective in the price agreements as of January 7 is to reach an agreement that replaces the recent resolution and to be able to attack the other factors that affect inflation. The two main objectives are to reduce inflation and create jobs. The numbers that will be published on Tuesday will astonish many. The recovery is very good. Thousands of people who were unemployed are coming out of unemployment “.
In reference to the negotiation with the IMF, Guzmán explained that “The agreement with the IMF is an agreement of the country. There is a law that makes it mandatory to approve (in Congress) any agreement. We from the National Government will work to build certainties. In the conversation with (Kristalina) Georgieva -Managing Director of the IMF-, There was an unexpected surprise that affects the negotiation process, but there was also a commitment from all parties to resolve this situation and reach an agreement. Now it is important to build. We invite the opposition to have an attitude to rebuild Argentina. The debt owed to the IMF is so great that it is impossible to solve it in a single step. When making an agreement, we look at how it impacts work and production. The first is the real economy. “
Finally, the Minister of Economy emphasized that “In the negotiations we seek to be able to have a refinancing. Work has been done to create a third line of credit and we estimate that by the end of 2022 and beginning of 2023 it will be created. We must go on the road taking steps that build solutions. We are looking to anchor what we owe with money that would give us a new step. We are negotiating a program that has a term of ten years. We are negotiating a program that four years after the agreement, capital will begin to be amortized. “
