The future Minister of Economy said that two ministerial leaders who are currently in office will continue in the Orsi government.
Gabriel Oddone, future Minister of Economy and Finance (MEF), led the first meeting of the portfolio team on Tuesday, whose names he announced at a press conference.
The economist described it as “a fairly large team, because the directions in the ministry are quite broad.””, with “an emphasis on young people, with government experience, some with private sector experience.”
In addition to Martín Vallcorba, who will be the undersecretary, he mentioned who will lead the MEF directorates, mostly economists and academics.
Gabriela Fachola will be in charge of the Secretariat Directorate, while Bibiana Lanzilotta will be in the Economic Policy Directorate and Juan Benítez will be in the Public Finance Directorate.
The Macroeconomic Unit Directorate will be led by Braulio Zelko and the General Accounting Office of the Nation will be Adriana Arosteguiberry. Nicolás Serrano will direct the Internal Audit of the Nation.
Gustavo González will be director of Revenue, Joaquín Serra that of Customs, Fernando Estévez that of Casinos, Marcelo Visconti that of Lotteries and Quinielas and Andrés Recalde that of Cadastre.
Two leaders who are currently in office will continue in the Yamandú Orsi government: Herman Kamil in the Debt Management Unit and Juan Labraga in the Trade Policy Advisory.
Oddone also mentioned Ana Inés Morató, Fernando Esponda, Ariel Cancio and Santiago Soto as advisors to the MEF.
Asked about the future authorities of the State Insurance Bank (BSE) and the Social Security Bank (BSP), he responded: “They are decisions of the Executive Branch and the government as a whole, where the Ministry of Economy has a very relevant opinion and important, but not decisive.”
“In the coming weeks” it will be defined who will lead both banks.
Articles of the LUC, personalized VAT, dollar and fiscal deficit
Oddone was asked if they are already clear which articles of the law of urgent consideration, promulgated by the government of President Luis Lacalle Pou, they are going to repeal.
“We are not working that way,” he assured.
“Defining our priorities, the strategic guidelines and the legal modifications that are going to take place are going to be a consequence of that. “We are not thinking about which articles of the law we are going to repeal,” he added.
He also referred to the initiative to apply a personalized VAT: “The personalized VAT is an element that we want to study and evaluate.”
“It is not in any priority for the year 2025,” the economist pointed out.
Regarding the information received from the current MEF authorities, he said that elements are still missing.
“The 2024 financial closing is not on the web and is a super important element,” he stated.
“The passive projection of what the 2025 fiscal numbers are is key for us, to understand how the government is imagining 2025. They are two crucial elements”Oddone added.
Asked about the value of the dollar, he indicated that the Central Bank of Uruguay (BCU) is the body with the main power in this regard.
“Monetary policy in Uruguay is in the hands of the BCU and it is the one that defines the general orientation and management of interest rates, which is what has repercussions on the value of the dollar,” he explained.
“What the MEF is in charge of is how to manage the challenges that arise for the export sectors based on what is happening at a global level and in the combination of that with monetary policy”added the future minister.
Regarding the fiscal rule, Oddone assured that the tool will be maintained, with the aim of improving it.
“The fiscal rule will be improved. “It is a tool that constituted an improvement with respect to the pre-existing fiscal rule, but we understand that it has enormous opportunities to be improved,” held.
“It was not enough to contain some of the pathologies that exist in Uruguay’s budget management,” he added.
In this sense, the economist declared that “the Uruguayan government is clear that fiscal stability is the anchor of Uruguay’s macroeconomic stability.”
“It is a priority for the government’s economic policy to be able to convey to the markets and economic agents that the fiscal situation is sustainable in the medium term,” he sentenced.
Montevideo Portal
