The government presented the it causes so that the concession of the Panamericana is canceled. It is in the hands of Autopistas del Sol, which in 2018 renegotiated an extension of the concession, through an agreement with the national highway authorities of the previous administration.
In turn, he asked the Justice “the urgency of issuing an unprecedented precautionary measure (conf. Art. 16 law no. 26.854) in order to that the National State takes over the management of the Northern Access“. In this way, he tries to supplant Abertis, the current concessionaire, and for the executive power to take control. In the next days, he will do the same with the Grupo Concesario del Oeste (GCO), which manages the highways of that destination.
The Ministry of Public Works, through the National Roads and with the patronage of the National Prosecutor’s Office, has referred to the Federal Litigation-Administrative Justice. Try to overrule a 2018 decree. According to the Government, this agreement “committed the State to a millionaire debt, non-existent and detrimental to the interests of users”.
“The global renegotiation agreement established, among other things, a debt whose existence is not proven, a dollarization of tariffs and an extension of the concession for 10 years. Furthermore, to comply with the payment obligation provided for by the agreements signed in 2018, which should increase the tariff, on average, 20 times in the Northern Access, damaging the Argentines “, accuses the executive power.
Close to the dealers they understand that the renegotiation was beneficial to the state (which saved hundreds of millions of dollars in recognized debt) and that the aforementioned The “dollarization” of rates mentioned by the Executive is not such.
The Government has already anticipated that it will shortly also present the respective compensation action which will make it possible to modify the Overall Renegotiation Agreement stipulated with the Grupo Concesionario del Oeste SA (GCO).
“In 2018 the dealerships Autopistas Del Sol SA (AUSOL) and Grupo Concesionario del Oeste (GCO) signed agreements with the previous government that committed the State to a gross debt (without penalty discounts) of US $ 813,143,839.52, ( US $ 540,522,269.52 in the case of AUSOL SA and US $ 272,621,570 in the case of GCO SA) ”, accuses the Government.
“In this sense, a cancellation has been set in annual installments, which would go from 2018 to 2030, plus dollar interest of 8% per annum. These interests could be capitalized and, if the State was late in payments, the concept due became part of the capital, increasing the debt. With these agreements, the recognized debt and its interest amounted to US $ 1,161,292,387 ”, they reported.
In 2006 a special unit (Uniren) signed agreements with the concessionaires recognizing a residual debt higher than that then assumed by the Macri administration, although it was in pesos. This is how they believe in the highways, where they believe the renegotiation of 2018 is positive for the state.
“The same National State has repeatedly failed to make the commitment assumed in the 2006 Conventions to recompose the economic-financial equation of the Concession Agreements within the deadline established for this purpose. Not even in subsequent extensions ordered by the Grantor. This determined that in mid-2015 AUSOL and GCO filed an administrative appeal before suing the National State and that, in the same year, the company Abertis Infraestructuras SA, the main shareholder of both companies, promoted an appeal before the CIADI, based on the bilateral investment treaty between Argentina and Spain, for an amount of 1,231 million US dollars ”, is the version of the highways.
The government gives a contrary interpretation. “It was also established that the amounts should be received by the concessionaires in exemption from IRPEF and that the same should be paid through the rates. In other words, to fulfill those obligations, which included the fulfillment of capital, interest or income tax, the required fee was up to 20 times higher than what a user pays today“, Criticize from the government.
The amount of the tolls was always in pesos. Since the Alberto Fernández government took office, the increases in tolls were “discretionary” (at the will of the Executive Power) and they have not followed the pace of inflation, they understand this in the concessionary companies.
“Each annual installment was not completed under the terms of the agreements, therefore the sum committed by the state in 2018 rose to values close to 2,000 million dollars“, According to the government.
“The dealers receive royalties in the millions of dollars directly for the operation of the service stations located in both Accesses. In this sense, in the agreements celebrated in 2018 it was established that the millions of dollars they receive for these complexes do not count towards paying off the debt assumed by the state, which also means an additional income which increases the rent insured to dealers ”, observes the Executive Authority.
NEITHER
Source: Clarin
