Rates: before the tenders, the provinces ask for more subsidies and “differential” prices.

The government will announce this week the segmentation of subsidies to energy tariffs and the new consumption caps. After postponing the announcements scheduled for last week, the Secretary of Energy, Flavia Royón, will resume them at a press conference.

The date would be this Tuesday, but has not been officially confirmed due to the difficulties that have arisen in implementation and due to the caution in the face of the impact of inflation (in July it was 7.4% per month), to which was added pressure from governors in the last few hours.

Royón advanced with his team to close the details of the scheme after meeting with provincial regulators on Friday. “This week it is announced yes or yes, the work is done around the clock to try to be as clear as possible when it comes to segmentation because there are thousands of examples and options, “say official sources.

The kidney official of governor Gustavo Sáenz di Salta, former candidate for vice president of Sergio Massa, assured days ago that “this rate update will be the first below the wage coefficient of variationin installments, and only for the sector with the greatest purchasing power “.

The regime announced by the Minister of Economy provides that in order to maintain subsidies for electricity, in addition to having certain socio-economic characteristics (not owning three cars, buildings or boats), consumption cannot exceed 400 kWh per month.

Otherwise, users will have to pay the fare without subsidies, which means an increase in the cost of the service on the ticket. The authorities reported this 9 million have asked for the maintenance of the benefits, while 4 million have not signed up.

The criteria of Massa noise generated in the 10 provinces of the great north, From where they sent their disagreement and the demand to change the announced caps, together with an increase in subsidies to the region with 7 million inhabitants.

This was one of 36 resolutions left by Friday’s meeting held by 10 lieutenant governors and 120 lawmakers from Jujuy, Salta, Tucumán, Catamarca, Santiago del Estero, La Rioja, Chaco, Formosa, Corrientes and Misiones. The inauguration was entrusted to the chief of staff, Juan Manzur.

“We have set requirements due to the delay in the development of NOA and NEA, so that in the summer and spring the energy subsidies are greater, that the consumption limit is 600kw, instead of 400 per month raised by Massa, and that those regions that do not have national natural gas may have a differential rate in winter“said the senator of Corrientes, Martín Barrionuevo.

The idea of ​​the differentiated vote is inspired by the project of “cold areas” by Máximo Kirchner, approved in June last year. The law has benefited over 3 million households, with a reduction of between 30% and 50% in the gas tariffs paid by residential users residing in locations with low temperatures. They want the governors of the North something like this for the summer.

The governor of Chaco, Jorge Capitanich, went further and assured last Thursday that “the president has expressed his commitment to a system of access to the differential energy rate based on consumption in the Norte Grande, a historic affirmation for the north that we will work with Minister Sergio Massa “.

Energy subsidies are the main item with which Massa tries to reduce the public finances deficit to 2.5% of GDP in order to comply with the program with the IMF. However, in July that element was added 922 billion dollars and it was the one that contributed most to the expansion of spending, with 27.3% of the total, according to the Congressional Budget Office (OPC).

AQ