To avoid an impact on inflation.
The National Government decided to postpone the planned increases in electricity and gas rates for July, as confirmed by official sources from the Ministry of Economy to different national media.
Prices will thus be frozen for at least a month. Minister Luis Caputo has thus postponed the monthly adjustment that was to be tied to a formula for estimating future inflation, which has not yet been designed.
This measure, which is intended to prevent an increase in the cost of living, Caputo decided to postpone the entry into force of most of the increase in taxes on fuels scheduled for July 1. Despite the measure, gasoline and diesel prices will increase by up to 7 percent starting Monday.
The determination to stop energy and gas rates occurs in the midst of a context in which private inflation estimates marked bad news for the pocketbook with a rebound in June, which would interrupt the slowdown trend registered so far this year. anus. More specifically, after the 4.2% inflation rate in May, in June the price increase already showed a rebound, according to the private sector, around 5.5%. In addition, the Treasury reported that Caputo considered the seasonality component. In winter, gas consumption is usually higher and, consequently, so is what users pay. Therefore, this freeze put a brake on last month’s increases, which had been between 9% and 33% in gas and between 23% and 156% in electricity.
Regarding fuels, the National Government authorized a minimal increase in taxes that will have an impact of only 1% on the pumps. However, to this 1% an additional 2% must be added due to the monthly devaluation (crawling peg) and another 2% due to the increase in the prices of biofuels for blending. In this way, gasoline and diesel will increase between 5 percent and 7 percent starting next Monday.
