The state-owned company Corredores Viales SA, which operates most of the toll routes in Argentina will receive $ 14,224 million in grants throughout 2022. The data comes from the action plan and budget published this week in the Official Gazette. The contribution of the Treasury funds is essential to cover the gap between the company’s current income and expenses. According to the official spreadsheet, it is calculated that during this year the road corridors it will have a turnover of 15,243 million dollars and will have an operating expense of 27,463 million dollars. Of this figure, 10,000 million dollars go in compensation.
These numbers were estimated at the beginning of the year and it is possible that the Treasury contribution will increase due to the fact that the amount entered in the forms has expired for effect of inflation.
An important fact is that at the very moment in which these figures are known, the Government promotes the refoundation of the functioning of the North (Ausol) and West (West Access) accesses.) which could increase the operating deficit.
According to the action plan, CVSA – it has 3,473 employees– It is responsible for the maintenance of six thousand kilometers of national routes, on the one hand, and for the operation of forty-two toll booths. The proceeds from the concessions include toll tariffs, proceeds from the exploitation of service areas and from complementary exploitation and subsidies, grants and / or transfers of contributions from the state.
Those who circulate daily on the Argentine routes (the main ones under the responsibility of CVSA) they will have verified that they are far from comfortable and safe.
In the item reserved for investments, the company indicates that “the investment policy aims at the recovery and enhancement of the road assets at the expense of CVSA restoring adequate conditions of transit and safety to its users from investments aimed at upgrading the capacity of the routes, the restoration of roads, road safety, the development of new service areas and conservation and maintenance interventions. This investment policy will be agreed with the National Highway Administration (DNV) of the Ministry of Public Works “.
In this sense, the company states that “it plans to carry out a total of fifty-one investment projects and works, distributed between the restoration of the roads, the replacement of lights, flooring and general painting, and the purchase of various machinery and equipment”
State management of road corridors adds a few million pesos to the fiscal deficit. As in most cases, the operational red is explained by the fact that the Government is convinced to continue to maintain subsidies to all types of public services, even if these subsidies subsequently generate a deficit and this deficit is covered by monetary issuance. and this turns into inflation. . It could therefore be said that if taxes (in theory) return to works, subsidies return to inflation.
Source: Clarin
