On December 17, Argentina must stop using the scheme of Sworn Import Declarations (DJAI) as it is known so far, by order of the World Trade Organization (WTO). It will be the first economic policy measure that the next president will have to take, although the Government assures that currently there are already modifications and that the Central Bank will no longer block the delivery of dollars. Although it is almost six months before that deadline, the team of the Minister of Economy, Axel Kicillof, has already prepared changes for the scheme that most reveals to entrepreneurs. In line with WTO requests, the Commerce Secretariat has prepared less discretionary DJAIs and ensures that only orders with technical flaws will be locked. That new DJAI format will be left to the next president, in case the winner of October wants to continue to control imports. "Scioli must show in its second week what it intends to do with the economy," BAE Negocios told the Treasury yesterday. As this media learned, the governor of the Province of Buenos Aires would extend the scheme, although with a more "friendly" methodology. If the most voted were Mauricio Macri, the regime would be more open, according to what PRO said to this medium. The WTO had tentatively set a deadline for December 9, with the aim of being the administration of the president, Cristina Fernández, the one that 'orders' the current system. The Secretary of Commerce asked for time until the end of the year, but it will finally be on the 17th the day that the import controls will change. Much closer in time than the first official request, which was March 2016, and further than July this year, which was the first attempt by the international organization. The Government has already started some changes in the DJAI. In its defense before the WTO, it was objected that this scheme does not discriminate according to port of arrival, unlike the systems applied in other parts of the globe, which is systematized, more orderly and is not prohibitive. Even so, the international organization continues to have reservations. "By Mercosur regulations, you cannot put customs barriers higher than 35%, that's why Brazil and Argentina always innovate in measures that must later be replaced," the Executive admitted to this medium. That's why the European or United States limits can even exceed 100 percent. Although these figures are not impeded by the WTO, the United States and several countries of the Old Continent lead the ranking of the accused before that body. The complaints that Argentina received were from the United States, Great Britain and Japan. From Kirchnerism they also maintain that this year there were more authorizations. It is that the panorama in 2014 was more complicated, with fewer international reserves. The companies admit that there is more flexibility, but that the problem continues to be that the Central does not grant the dollars. That is why the Minister of Economy, Axel Kicillof, met with the head of the monetary authority, Alejandro Vanoli, on Friday, where they agreed that there should be more reserves for purchases abroad. Already on Thursday, Tierra Del Fuego automakers and factories had been warned that they would have one more 30% per month for inputs and that the currencies would be provided by the BCRA. The Government assures that it has the necessary dollars to face the demand and that "for the moment it would not be necessary" to enable a new section of the swap with China to pay for imports, but that "in July it will be seen", according to one of the officials who handle the issue. SOURCE: BAE NEGOCIOS |