"Omnibus Law" RAE ARGENTINA TO THE WORLD

Governors want tariffs off Milei's reform bill

The government of President Javier Milei expects that this week Congress will debate its broad reform bill.

It is called "Bases and Starting Points for the Liberty of Argentines", better known as the "Omnibus Law".

It includes more than 600 articles, modifying legal, economic, commercial, tax and administrative matters, among other areas.

Minister of the Interior Guillermo Francos stated that the Executive accepted changes to "a series of aspects" of the law "without departing from the original structure of the proposal".

According to what he said in an interview, the Casa Rosada aspires to "approve the law this week" in the Lower House and then pass it to the Senate.

Negotiations are mainly with coalition Juntos por el Cambio (Together for Change), of former President Mauricio Macri.

Governors of that force agreed that they will not support the bill if taxes on certain exports from their provinces are not eliminated from the text, as reported today.

They are demanding that these products be exempted from the taxes paid by the country's main commodities such as soybean, wheat and corn.

Juntos por el Cambio is deemed the "moderate" opposition, unlike Kirchnerism and the left, which are strongly against the Omnibus Law.

Regarding the initiative, a letter signed by more than 20 thousand Argentine artists against the changes in the area of culture promoted by the text was published this weekend.

The message expresses concern about the intended elimination or cutback of funds in institutions that finance and promote artistic activities.

Among the agencies affected are the National Film Institute, INCAA, which finances national movies and their distribution.

Also the National Fund for the Arts, which granted loans at the beginning of their careers to late iconic artists such as composer Astor Piazzolla or the painter Antonio Berni.

This new policy "will affect cultural industries and Argentine art itself", warned the letter signed by personalities such as the musician Charly García.

It was also endorsed by filmmaker Santiago Mitre, whose work "Argentina, 1985" competed for the Oscar a year ago.

In addition, several actors and actresses published a video warning about the changes in the area of culture promoted by the Casa Rosada.

Among those who appear is actor Ricardo Darín stands out, and he remarks that what the project seeks to eliminate "are not privileges, they are rights".