Economic journalist Ariel Maciel warned of high tax pressure and the SME crisis in Argentina, stating that without structural changes there will be no incentives to hire formally. He criticized the lack of dialogue with the private sector and the unsustainable cost of labor hiring.
Ariel Maciel, in an analysis on Canal E, questioned whether lowering taxes is enough to revive the economy. "Not even to start", he said about the government's current measures, despite advances like labor reform.
He pointed to structural obstacles for SMEs, such as tax burden and labor costs. "For every two employees a company is paying a third", he explained, reducing competitiveness against imports and halting investments. The private sector reports projects on hold due to lack of clear signals.
Maciel criticized the government's priority of lowering inflation at any cost, including counting informal jobs as positive. He highlighted the gap between formal and informal firms, and the lack of dialogue: "when I asked who they were talking to, they said no one". SMEs generate 75% to 80% of registered employment.
While business owners value macroeconomic stability, it is not unconditional. Maciel called for tax reforms to improve hiring conditions.
