After a day marked by short circuits with the dialogue opposition, the Government made a last attempt to save the Bases Law and the tax packagethat They will begin to be debated this Thursday in committees. Negotiations took place towards the end of the afternoon after a series of disagreements with the UCR and the We Make Federal Coalition for labor reform and the tobacco tax, two sensitive issues in Javier Milei’s flagship project.
This way, This Thursday at 12, the new “omnibus law” will be discussed in the General Legislation, Budget and Constitutional Affairs committees, and later, at 4:00 p.m., the draft tax measures will be discussed, only in the Budget. The aspiration of the ruling party is to sign separate opinions (even with some dissent) to enable treatment in the facility next Monday.
Red-hot negotiations in Martín Menem’s office
The negotiations in the Martín Menem’s offices were red hot this Wednesday. Late on Tuesday, the head of the lower house sent the supposed final version of the “base law” to the dialogue deputies, but this Wednesday Miguel Pichetto raised his displeasure because the Secretary of Labor, Julio Cordero, incorporated some 60 labor articles late on Sunday and took more aspects of Milei’s DNU than opposition suggestions.
In a climate of tension, Pichetto insisted on focusing the discussion on three points (fines for unregistered work, the severance fund and the extension of the trial period), and leave the rest for a separate law, to be discussed with employers and union members. Meanwhile, Rodrigo De Loredo, president of the radical bloc, demanded to maintain the chapter.
For that reason, The man from Córdoba and other radicals present left one of the meetings that were being developed in the Presidency and versions even circulated that they would not accompany the law if the labor part was withdrawn. The progress of the talks ended up ruining that possibility.
The Executive (represented by the Deputy Chief of Staff, José Rolandi) finally offered the deputies a counterproposal for reform narrower than the original, about 14 points, including the aspects requested by Pichetto and some others such as sanctions for blocking companies. The former senator asked for time to analyze the text and everyone will make their return this Thursday, when the issue is discussed in committees.
Although in the radicalism there was, a priori, a positive view, they will insist on incorporating an article to eliminate solidarity contributions to unions, an issue that the Government resists. They will leave it reflected as a dissent in the opinion, and in the room they will ask to vote on it. They believe it would be a milestone in the fight against what Milei calls “the caste.”
The PRO deputies, angry
Meanwhile, hehe PRO deputies Cristian Ritondo and Diego Santilli also left Menem’s offices upset during the afternoon. They attributed the anger to the obstacles in the labor reform, but other versions linked it to the tax discussion on the tobacco sector, an issue that appeared in the original version of the project and has now been eliminated.
Which The aim is for all tobacco companies to pay the same tax burdensince Tabacalera Sarandí currently pays less tax than its competitors thanks to a series of precautionary measures by Justice against the minimum internal tax, which results in unfair competition.
The UCR, We Make Federal Coalition and Federal Innovation buckled in pursuit of reincorporating that chapter into the “base law” and could win the vote in the chamber. One of the most insistent on the issue was Pamela Calletti from Salta (Federal Innovation), who is voiced by Governor Gustavo Sáenz. The PRO has differences and will not accompany.
Favorable outlook for rulings
The outlook for the signing of the opinions is, in principle, favorable. The ruling party, which would be the majority, would have many fewer dissidents than the more than a hundred that there were in the summer. Socialism analyzes presenting a minority opinion, as it did on that occasion. Union for the Homeland and the left will go for rejection.
“At this point we have to go to the possible, not the ideal. This patient is too delicate for things to be added,” an experienced deputy from the dialogue opposition warned this medium, who had been privately warning about the danger of adding more and more articles. The final version would be around 300 articles.
This Thursday, before the debate, the General Legislation Commission will have a brief formal meeting to change the president. Gabriel Bornoroni from Córdoba, who took over as block head of La Libertad Avanza, will be replaced by Santiago Santurio from Buenos Aires, who will be the reporting member in next Monday’s session. From that moment on, it is his responsibility to reach a successful conclusion,” he said about Menem.
