The government will send a bill to Congress in the coming days to create the “technological monotax”. The goal is “legalize” freelancers who export qualified services they can dispose of the dollars they receive, up to a maximum of $ 30,000 per year. They estimate that the regulations will come into effect in February next year, at the latest, e benefits around 6,000 professionals self-employed workers abroad.

The initiative consists of create a simplified regime for software and graphic programmers, for example, “declare your dollars in the country without being obliged to liquidate them at the official value“, said Guillermo Michel, head of customs and consultant of the project whose main promoter is the secretary for the knowledge economy, Ariel Sujarchuk.

The bill complements the measures announced on Monday by Sergio Massa to stimulate exports of professional services and technology. Among other benefits, companies that increase sales will be able to freely dispose of some of the dollars they bill. With the technological monotax the government tries to “formalize” between US $ 1,000 and US $ 1,800 million per yeardepending on who performs the calculation.

Officials clarify that this has nothing to do with the soybean dollar, which has set a higher exchange rate for grain exporters. “The goal is not to increase reserves, but regularize those who collect dollars in the black, in accounts abroad or in cryptocurrenciesSujarchuk explained Clarione. With the new regime, he added, a person will be able to withdraw their currency from the bank or liquidate it on the financial market.

Technological self-employment is a problem for service exporting companies, such as Accenture, Globant or Mercado Libre, plagued by the lack of qualified personnel. From June 2021 to the same month this year, foreign sales of services (consulting, software, accounting, marketing or engineering) totaled $ 7.26 billion, which represents a year-over-year increase of 22%.

The industry has more than 450,000 employees, earning well above average wages. But in pesos. The exchange rate gap, technological progress has favored self-employed and remote work, which is charged in hard currencies such as the dollar or the euro. for the local industry ie unfair competition and informal work. The government’s point of view is partially divergent.

“The new regime would make it possible to justify the income and a person who invoices, pays taxes to the treasury. If you are in the black you have neither social work nor pension,” notes Sujarchuk. Michel believes that although single-tax payers are not obliged to pay their dollars at the official exchange rate, “a part will remain within the system and which would increase the reserves“.

Massa announced on Monday a series of measures to encourage exports of services. The Minister of Economy wants companies from the so-called “knowledge economy” to export about 10,000 million dollars a year, 30% more than the average in recent years.

Tech companies and large consulting firms have received the announcements with great caution. One of the advantages, which will be made official in the coming days through a DNU, is that of a company he can freely dispose of 30% of the dollars on the increase in his exports. It will be based on quarterly statistics kept by the central bank of each company. “If it were 22%, as the industry average has been in the last 12 months, it would correspond to 6.6% of the total,” they underline.