CAME press secretary Salvador Femenia and tax expert Marcelo Rodríguez highlighted the need for structural reforms to ease pressure on small businesses and workers. In interviews with Canal E, both stressed the importance of a predictable financial system and clear tax simplification. Without political consensus, they warn, progress could be limited.
In an economic uncertainty context ahead of elections, Salvador Femenia, CAME's press secretary, described the small and medium enterprises (PYMEs) situation as "very complicated," with a sharp drop in consumption and demand limitations. According to Femenia, negative expectations worsened since the government capped wage increases via collective bargaining, affecting even key dates like Mother's Day. PYMEs, he explained, seek not extraordinary measures but predictability: "We need a different context, we don't ask for anything special, just a better economic climate".
Femenia reported a slight activity rebound between last October and March, but lack of confidence stalled the sector again. "Predictability makes you use tools that people now don't want to use, like electronic payment methods or credit cards," he noted, blaming high interest rates and debt fears. He insisted on urgent reforms: "There is a need for a tax and pension reform, and a more predictable financial system." Additionally, he warned that around 15,000 PYMEs have closed since this government's start, with job losses, and labor turnover results in a net zero balance. For every 1,000 pesos paid to an employee, the employer shells out 1,700 due to high labor charges.
Meanwhile, tax expert Marcelo Rodríguez analyzed the government's planned tax reform bill to Congress. "To tackle a tax reform, the State must have clear what path it wants to follow," he stated, warning that without a defined direction, it could harm workers and retirees. Rodríguez supported reducing income tax to ease the burden on salaried workers: "Yes, I would like taxes to be lowered, especially to reduce the fiscal burden on salaried workers." However, he cautioned that cutting taxes without compensation could fuel inflation. He cited the 2017 reform under Mauricio Macri, which lowered corporate taxes to boost investments, and the current Large Investments Incentive Regime (RIGI).
Both experts agreed on the current tax system's complexity. Rodríguez called being an accountant "an impossible mission" due to the variety of taxes, urging simplification by eliminating harmful ones like gross income or stamps, while properly dosing income and asset taxes. Updating deductions, such as the 20,000 pesos for car maintenance, would incentivize sectors like construction and automotive industry. Femenia called for broad political agreement: "An agreement with the opposition is necessary because it involves all three government levels." Rodríguez added that parliamentary debate, coinciding with the 2026 Budget, will define the scope: "If there is no fiscal consensus, we will lower taxes on one side and raise them on the other".