facilidades extendidas - Oficina de Presupuesto del Congreso

TRAINING ON PUBLIC FINANCE FOR LEGISLATIVE ADVISORS

by Nicolas Perez | Apr 11, 2024 | Activities

On Tuesday, April 9, the Argentine Congressional Budget Office (OPC) initiated a training program on issues related to public finances for the advisors of deputies and senators of the Congress of the Nation. The Director-General of the OPC, Gabriel Esterelles, together with the Director of Parliamentary Training of the Senate, Camila Duro, opened the training program at the Senate.

The purpose of the program is to introduce key issues for the interpretation of initiatives related to public resources and budget design to those who assist legislators in their work.

The program, jointly organized by the OPC and the Directorate of Parliamentary Training of the Senate, was designed around three main topics: taxes, expenditures and public credit, each of them to be addressed in two classes of two hours each, twice a week.

The sequence of face-to-face meetings is being held in different spaces of each Chamber to promote direct contact and facilitate the exchange of ideas.
This training plan, which will conclude on April 25, will be delivered by the directors of the OPC, with the assistance of their analysts:
Martín López Amorós, director of Fiscal Analysis, with Pedro Velazco and Emilio Nastri; Ignacio Lohlé, director of Budget Analysis, together with Laura Cafarelli, Julieta Olivieri and Romina Muras; Joel Vaisman, director of Sustainability and Public Debt Analysis, with Eugenia Carrasco.

ANALYSIS OF NATIONAL GOVERNMENT BUDGET EXECUTION – FEBRUARY 2024

by Nicolas Perez | Mar 7, 2024 | Budget Execution

Due to a decrease in expenditures (-23.8% YoY) and a slight increase in revenues (+0.4% YoY), in the first two months of the year, the National Government recorded a financial surplus 150.0% higher in real terms than in the same period of the previous year.

The primary surplus, which does not include interest payments, was 1,805.5% higher than that obtained a year earlier.
Total revenues grew 0.4% in the year-on-year comparison, driven by increases in the PAIS Tax (405.9% YoY), in Export Duties (70.9% YoY) and in VAT (15.4% YoY). These increases were partially offset by the decrease in resources from Social Security (-25.1% YoY) and Income Tax (-36.5% YoY).
Total National Government expenditures recorded a real fall of 23.8% YoY in the first two months of the year and the cut in primary expenditures, which does not include the increase in debt interest, rose to 33.6% YoY.
Pensions (-33.0% YoY real), energy subsidies (-59.5% YoY real), capital expenditures (-82.4% YoY real) and social programs (-29.9% YoY real) were the items that most contributed to the reduction in expenditures. However, debt interest grew 34.2% YoY.
In February, the financial result was in deficit (-ARS186.635 billion), although in the first two months of the year the surplus was maintained (ARS1,020.296 billion), with levels above the average of a 15-year cycle.
Total accrued expenditures represented 24.0% of the budget, which is an extension of the budget in force during 2023.

ANALYSIS OF NATIONAL GOVERNMENT BUDGET EXECUTION – FEBRUARY 2024

PUBLIC DEBT OPERATIONS – JANUARY 2024

by Nicolas Perez | Feb 22, 2024 | Public Debt Operations

As of January 31, 2024, the debt stock in pesos amounted to ARS91,591.133 billion and the debt stock in foreign currency amounted to the equivalent of USD267.99 billion.
This implied an increase of ARS7,719.312 billion and USD3.509 billion, respectively, compared to year-end 2023.
The Treasury obtained financing in pesos for ARS3,315.767 billion, mainly through auctions of CER-adjustable securities, and financing in foreign currency for the equivalent of USD14.363 billion.
Of these, USD9.644 billion were placements of Treasury bills to the BCRA for the renewal of similar instruments.
The IMF disbursed the equivalent of USD4.7 billion (SDR3.5 billion), enabled by the approval of the seventh review of the Extended Fund Facility (EFF).
Debt maturities in domestic currency for the February to June 2024 term are estimated at ARS36,539.643 billion and those in foreign currency at USD6.874 billion, of which the largest amount is payable to the IMF for the equivalent of USD3.534 billion.