Argentine economy minister Martín Lousteau talked on Monday, as well as president Cristina de Kirchner. All ministers were present, there were special guests and it was broadcasted almost simultaneously. Argentina hasn't ever spent so much attention to official messages referring to wheat or milk percentages, minimum returns or transportation costs. What happened yesterday is almost unacceptable, as what has been taking place for more than 15 days now: a complex discussion, nearly violent, about the 9-per cent difference stemming from the last increase in export tariffs. Too much smoke for such little fire, an almost inexplicable discussion.
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Argentina looks like a different country since farm tax was increased: pickets, pot-baging, roadblocks, threats, mass meetings, strikes, even four speeches of Argentine president Cristina de Kirchner about the matter (including today's in Plaza de Mayo). Government is using too much energy in this battle (as if it were cheap) for a 9-per cent fight, which, after making a lot of fuss, now seems to be essential to sustain the productive model and to protect presidential authority. Such percentage has become an influencing factor to redistribute revenues, stop mounting poverty, determine what's sown in backyards, condemning soy growing, even discovering that such bush is not consumed in Argentina. A task of vast official imagination to justify a mere increase, which yields an aggregate of around $1.4 billion in collection. It's also unacceptable that such amount had been forgotten in messages of Government House.
